The cybersecurity landscape is rife with challenges, but some threats are quieter, subtler — and deadlier. Info stealers, the silent operators of the malware world, have made headlines for their efficiency in siphoning off sensitive data. While their mechanics and prevalence are well-documented, the real question for decision-makers is not just what these threats are but how to effectively address them before they escalate.

The stakes for CISOs, security managers, and engineers couldn’t be higher. Leaked credentials represent more than isolated incidents — they’re entry points for attackers and indicators of broader security gaps. Whether your organization is a fast-growing product company or an outsourcing powerhouse, understanding when to act, how to mitigate risks, and where to focus visibility can make the difference between proactive defense and reactive damage control.

This article, however, will not delve into the technical details of how info stealers work. Plenty of resources on the Internet cover this topic extensively, and for an overview, readers can refer to my previous post: Info Stealers Exposed: The Silent Threat Stealing Your Data.

We’ll also avoid discussing the technical implementation of parsing information stealer logs. The article Infostealer Parser provides an excellent starting point for those interested in a technical guide. Additionally, we will not cover the sources from which information stealer logs come, as this discussion is outside the scope of this article.

Instead, this article offers a strategic lens for decision-makers:

• When and why visibility into info stealer activity is crucial.
• Tailored approaches for different organizational models.
• Practical steps to address leaked domain credentials.
• How to identify and close coverage gaps in vendor solutions.
• The untapped potential of info stealer data in areas like mergers, acquisitions, and third-party risk management.

The goal? To equip you with the insights you need to make informed decisions and turn the tables on the silent threats lurking in your systems.

Decision-Making: When Do You Need Visibility into Infostealers?

Effective decision-making regarding information stealers starts with understanding your organization’s exposure. The forms offered by Hudson Rock — “Is Your Company or Supply Chain Compromised?” and “Has Your Email or Username Been Compromised?”, provide an essential starting point. These forms allow organizations to quickly assess whether their credentials are already circulating in information thieves’ logs, serving as the foundation for all subsequent actions.

Using these forms, organizations can address the following critical questions:

1. Are there compromised credentials linked to your organization or its employees?
2. Are third-party suppliers or partners introducing credential-related vulnerabilities?

Once these checks are performed, organizations can proceed with a structured approach to mitigate risks and enhance visibility.

Proactive Risk Management: Considering Employee Geography

In a globally distributed workforce, geography often dictates the nature and extent of cybersecurity risks. Info stealer activity can disproportionately impact employees based on the regions where they operate, particularly in areas where attackers frequently target credentials for resale or exploitation.

For example:

• Employees in certain regions may inadvertently download software or tools embedded with info stealers, increasing exposure.
• In countries with lenient regulations on cybercrime, credential theft may go undetected or unreported, giving attackers a longer window to exploit stolen data.
• Remote employees or contractors using region-specific platforms may unknowingly introduce credentials into environments with weaker security postures.

Visibility into information stealer logs helps organizations identify geographic hotspots for compromised credentials, enabling targeted mitigations that reflect employees’ environments.

Another interesting trend to remember during decision-making is that stolen credentials per device are growing.

Incident Response: Understanding the Scope Across Distributed Teams

Organizations with a distributed workforce face unique challenges during a breach. Suppose credentials leaked from an office in one country are used to access systems hosted in another. Without visibility into the origin and context of these credentials, incident response teams risk overlooking the full scope of the threat.

Here’s how visibility helps:

• Pinpointing Geographic Exposure: Info stealer logs can reveal the source of leaked credentials, allowing response teams to prioritize high-risk locations.
• Mapping Potential Attack Chains: Understanding which systems those credentials could access across global offices or data centers helps refine containment efforts.

This geographic awareness is essential for organizations with operations spanning multiple regions, where the complexity of credential use increases exponentially.

High-Stakes Business Events: A Global Perspective

Organizations often inherit credential risks during mergers, acquisitions, or large-scale partnerships. For global companies, this risk is amplified by the diversity of regulatory landscapes and regional cybersecurity practices.

A few examples:

• Credentials shared during a merger between a U.S.-based company and an EU-based entity may expose the organization to GDPR and U.S. compliance challenges.
• Acquiring a company in a region known for weaker cybersecurity standards increases the likelihood of inheriting compromised credentials.

Visibility into info stealers during these critical moments allows decision-makers to mitigate risks, secure integrations, and avoid operational disruptions.

Impact-Driven Decisions: The Geography Factor

As noted in my previous article, the impact of stolen credentials extends far beyond the initial breach. Geography plays a key role in determining how severe this impact might be:

• Regulatory Fines: Data breaches involving credentials in regions with strict data protection laws (e.g., GDPR in the EU) can lead to steep penalties.
• Localized Threat Actors: In some regions, credential theft may involve organized groups with specific attack vectors, necessitating region-specific response measures.
• Supply Chain Dependencies: Credentials from third-party vendors in certain regions may pose a higher risk due to differing security standards.

When assessing the potential impact, decision-makers must factor in the geographic origin of the leaked credentials, as this often dictates the scope and urgency of the response.

Compliance and Regulatory Mandates Across Borders

Compliance requirements vary significantly across geographies. For global organizations, visibility into info stealer activity provides the clarity needed to navigate these challenges effectively. For instance:

• A multinational healthcare organization must secure PHI under HIPAA in the U.S., GDPR in the EU, and local regulations in APAC.
• Financial institutions must manage risks associated with cross-border credential leaks, ensuring compliance with a patchwork of global regulations.

Visibility into info stealers ensures that organizations can protect their data and meet diverse regulatory expectations across their operating regions.

Tailored Approaches for Different Business Models

Each business model faces unique challenges regarding safeguarding against info stealers. Organizations must tailor their strategies to effectively mitigate risks and secure data based on their specific operational needs and customer expectations. Below are some tailored approaches for different business models.

Product Companies: Securing the Core and Customer Trust

Protecting internal assets and customer data is the primary concern for product companies, whether in software, hardware, or consumer goods. The potential impact of leaked credentials extends to intellectual property, proprietary designs, and the integrity of customer-facing platforms.

• Protect Development and Production Environments: Leaked developer credentials or admin access to product infrastructure can be disastrous. Info stealer logs help identify compromised credentials linked to production systems or development tools, preventing unauthorized access to source code or customer data.
• Monitor Customer-Facing Platforms: Product companies often have complex systems and platforms interacting with many users. Monitoring for compromised credentials in user management portals, admin panels, and customer support systems ensures that any attack vector is quickly neutralized before it disrupts services.
• Customer Confidence and Compliance: Customer trust is paramount for product companies. By proactively monitoring and mitigating credential leaks, companies can demonstrate their commitment to security, meet compliance requirements, and maintain customer confidence.

Key Takeaway: For product companies, safeguarding proprietary assets and maintaining customer trust are top priorities. Info stealer visibility ensures early identification and remediation of vulnerabilities.

Outsourcing Companies: Protecting Client Data and Service Integrity

Outsourcing companies face unique risks since they are trusted third parties handling client data and systems. Leaked credentials can expose not just internal systems but also those of clients, making proactive monitoring crucial.

• Client-Specific Credential Monitoring: Service accounts and shared logins between outsourcing companies and clients must be closely monitored. Leaked credentials tied to these accounts can have cascading effects, compromising client environments and sensitive data.
• Supply Chain and Vendor Risk Management: Outsourcing companies rely on subcontractors or partner organizations. Monitoring info stealer logs for credentials associated with third parties ensures that security risks are contained within the supply chain, preventing external vulnerabilities from reaching clients.
• Transparent Reporting: When a breach occurs, transparent and proactive communication with clients is essential. Outsourcing companies can quickly identify affected systems and inform clients about remediation actions by integrating information stealer visibility into the response process.

Key Takeaway: Outsourcing companies must prioritize securing client data and managing third-party risks. Info stealer visibility helps safeguard both client relationships and operational integrity.

SaaS (Software-as-a-Service) Companies: Securing Access to Cloud Solutions

SaaS companies deliver cloud-based solutions that often house critical customer data. With the increasing use of cloud platforms, SaaS companies are prime targets for credential theft, making continuous monitoring essential.

• Protecting Customer Data and Accounts: SaaS companies must prioritize securing customer data across multi-tenant environments. Compromised admin credentials could lead to unauthorized access to customer data or manipulation of core services, disrupting business operations.
• Service Account and API Security: Attackers seeking privileged access target service accounts and APIs. Monitoring these credentials via info stealer logs ensures that any compromise is swiftly detected and remedied.
• Compliance and Regulatory Needs: SaaS companies store vast amounts of sensitive data, so they are often subject to rigorous compliance frameworks, such as GDPR or SOC 2. Regular monitoring for compromised credentials helps ensure compliance with these regulations, minimizing risk and enhancing customer trust.

Key Takeaway: SaaS companies prioritize securing access to cloud environments and ensuring compliance. Info stealer visibility provides a proactive defense against unauthorized access and data breaches.

B2B (Business-to-Business) Companies: Managing Large-Scale Risk Exposure

• Securing Client-Facing Systems and Integrations: B2B companies often have complex APIs, customer portals, and client integration points. Leaked credentials tied to these systems can provide attackers direct access to business-critical functions.
• Vendor and Partner Credential Management: Many third-party vendors in B2B transactions create significant opportunities for attackers. By monitoring info stealer logs for leaked credentials tied to external partners or systems, B2B companies can identify vulnerabilities early and take action before external threats escalate.
• Business Continuity Planning: B2B companies rely on smooth, uninterrupted service delivery to their clients. Proactively monitoring for compromised credentials and addressing vulnerabilities ensures that critical services remain operational without disruption.

Key Takeaway: B2B companies must focus on securing client-facing integrations and managing vendor risks. Info stealer visibility helps prevent exposure to external threats while maintaining smooth business operations.

A Common Thread: Visibility for All Business Models

While the approaches differ, one key principle remains: visibility into info stealer activity is crucial for every business model. Tailoring these strategies ensures that security efforts focus on areas that matter most, whether protecting customer data, securing integrations, or managing third-party risks.

Approaching Leaked Domain Credentials Effectively

Leaked domain credentials are more than text strings — they are keys to your organization’s critical systems. Mismanaged or overlooked, they can serve as the gateway to sensitive data, operational disruption, and reputational damage. Effectively addressing leaked credentials requires a structured approach prioritising speed, precision, and prevention.

Discovery: Identifying the Compromise

The first step is knowing what you’re up against. Use home-built or vendor solutions to scan for leaked domain credentials in info stealer logs continuously. When a leak is identified, focus on the following details:

• Origin of the Credentials: Were these leaked through a service account, a user account, or a third-party vendor?
• Scope of the Compromise: How many accounts are impacted, and what level of access do they provide?

Risk Assessment: Prioritizing the Threat

Not all leaked credentials carry the same level of risk. Once discovered, credentials should be categorized and prioritized based on their potential impact:

• Privileged Accounts: Admin credentials or service accounts often have the highest risk due to their wide-ranging access.
• Service Accounts: Credentials used by automated processes may allow attackers to move laterally within the environment without detection.
• Standard User Accounts: While lower priority, these credentials can still provide attackers with initial footholds, mainly if multi-factor authentication (MFA) isn’t enforced.

This risk-based prioritization ensures that resources are focused where needed most, allowing security teams to act efficiently.

Containment: Neutralizing the Threat

After assessing the risk, the next step is to contain the compromise. Key actions include:

• Immediate Credential Reset: Force password changes for impacted accounts and invalidate associated access tokens.
• Enable Multi-Factor Authentication: For all affected accounts, implement or enforce MFA to limit the usability of compromised credentials.
• Account Monitoring: Closely monitor affected accounts for suspicious activity, such as unauthorized login attempts or unusual access patterns.

Incident Response: Investigating the Breach

Containment is only part of the equation — understanding how and why credentials were leaked is essential for preventing future incidents.

• Source Identification: Identify the infostealer responsible for the credential compromise (e.g., RedLine, Raccoon, or others). This includes determining the infection vector, such as malicious downloads, cracked software, or other methods that led to the infostealer’s deployment.
• Attack Path Mapping: Trace how these credentials could be exploited to access sensitive systems or escalate privileges.
• Third-Party Verification: If vendor or supply chain credentials are involved, collaborate with partners to ensure their systems are secure.

Prevention: Learning and Building Resilience

Prevention isn’t just about avoiding incidents — it’s about creating a culture and infrastructure where risks are minimized and responses are swift. Here are the critical components for building resilience against leaked credentials caused by info stealers:

Employee Education: Awareness as the First Line of Defense

The primary challenge with info stealer risks lies in the lack of awareness among employees. They often do not recognize the potential threat or how their actions might contribute to a breach. This is particularly relevant for employees in high-risk zones, where the prevalence of info stealer malware might be more significant.

To address this:

• Educational Programs: Conduct regular training sessions on information stealers, their impacts, and how leaked credentials can be exploited.
• BYOD Awareness: Emphasize the dangers of using corporate credentials on personal devices. Employees should understand that personal devices may lack the protections of corporate environments, making them easy targets for info stealers.
• Localized Training: Tailor training efforts to specific regions or roles, highlighting areas with exceptionally high risks.

Credential Hygiene: Targeting the Real Risks

Traditional approaches to credential security — like enforcing password complexity or regular updates — are insufficient when corporate credentials are leaked through personal devices infected with info stealers. Instead, focus on:

• Password Managers on Corporate Devices: While corporate devices are generally more secure, encouraging employees to use password managers can reduce the risk of reusing credentials across platforms.
• Restrict Corporate Credential Usage: Establish policies and controls to prevent employees from using corporate credentials on personal devices. This is a tricky but critical step in addressing one of the most common leak vectors.

Proactive Monitoring: Two Paths to Success

Proactively monitoring info stealer logs is essential to identifying leaked credentials before they are exploited. Currently, organizations have two main options:

1. In-House Solutions: Developing a custom monitoring solution tailored to the organization’s needs.
2. Vendor Solutions: Partnering with third-party providers that specialize in monitoring leaked credentials. E.g., Hudson Rock or RecordedFuture.

For maximum effectiveness:

SIEM Integration: Integrating monitoring tools with an SIEM can help streamline incident response, but additional steps — like automated validation of leaked credentials — are essential to avoid false positives.

Cross-Functional Collaboration: A Unified Effort

Preventing credential leaks requires coordination across multiple teams:

• Risk Management: Highlight and quantify the risks posed by credential leaks to drive organizational awareness and prioritize action.
• Security Teams: Monitor info stealer logs, validate leaked credentials, and integrate findings into broader security workflows.
• IT Teams: Rotate leaked credentials efficiently and ensure systems notify stakeholders about updates to maintain seamless access.

Collaboration between these teams ensures a holistic approach to preventing and addressing credential leaks.

Metrics for Success: Measuring the Impact

The effectiveness of prevention efforts must be measured to ensure continuous improvement. The most critical metric is response time, which measures how quickly the organization can detect, validate, and mitigate leaked credentials. Shorter response times reduce the window of opportunity for attackers, significantly minimizing risks.

Lessons Learned: Continuous Improvement Through Review

Conducting post-incident reviews is a vital step, even when prevention measures are in place. However, a key lesson often revealed is the difficulty in mitigating risks if corporate credentials are used on personal devices.

To address this:

• Restrict Corporate Credential Usage: While challenging, policies to limit the use of corporate credentials on personal devices are crucial.
• Cultural Shift: Educate employees on the “why” behind these restrictions, fostering a culture of accountability and understanding.

Advanced Preventive Strategies: Balancing Innovation with Practicality

Emerging strategies like zero-trust architecture and credentialless authentication (e.g., biometrics) hold promise but come with implementation challenges.

Organizations should evaluate these strategies carefully, ensuring they align with operational realities and employee workflows.

Key Takeaway: Building resilience is a multi-faceted effort that combines employee education, monitoring, collaboration, and strategic implementation. While the road to prevention is complex, investing in these areas ensures that organizations are better equipped to address the silent but pervasive threat of information stealers.

Coverage Gaps with Current Vendor Solutions

Vendor solutions offer a critical line of defense against the risks of information stealers, covering a wide range of use cases, such as domain credentials, service accounts, and even valid cookies. However, these solutions have limitations, particularly regarding third-party systems, sensitive data in exfiltrated documents, and mergers and acquisitions (M&A). Recognizing and addressing these gaps is vital for organizations aiming to strengthen their security posture.

Third-Party Systems: The Attribution Challenge

While vendor solutions excel at monitoring domain credentials, they often falter regarding credentials tied to third-party systems. Attributing local accounts or non-domain credentials can be difficult, and vendors are typically constrained by legal requirements that prevent them from providing credentials they cannot conclusively link to the organization. The 2024 breach of the Snowflake instance of an entertainment company is a good example.

Real-World Insight:
Organizations with a large workforce face additional challenges in gathering and maintaining the necessary URLs and credentials for third-party systems. This becomes a continuous process, requiring significant effort and coordination.

Potential Strategies:

1. Continuous Monitoring and Inventory Management: Companies can add third-party systems’ URLs to their monitoring lists, but this must be an ongoing effort, especially for organizations with numerous employees. While this approach is challenging, it helps maintain better visibility into credential exposure.
2. Internal Monitoring Solutions: Security teams can build internal monitoring systems as an alternative or complement to vendor solutions. This decision should align with the organization’s risk appetite and operational capabilities. A combined approach — leveraging internal and vendor capabilities — may provide the most robust defense.

Sensitive Data in Extracted Documents: A Resource-Intensive Blind Spot

While it’s widely acknowledged that info stealers often exfiltrate documents, monitoring these files is resource-intensive and fraught with legal and operational complexities. Determining the content and sensitivity of these files poses significant challenges, making it difficult to gauge the full impact of such leaks.

Real-World Insight:
Personal devices are more susceptible to info stealers, as employees may inadvertently download cracked software, games, or other untrusted files from the Internet. Corporate devices, on the other hand, are typically less exposed due to controlled environments and pre-approved software.

Potential Strategies:

1. Data Storage and Encryption Policies: To minimize the impact of leaked documents, encourage secure storage practices and enforce encryption standards. While these measures are less effective on personal devices, they remain critical safeguards for corporate assets.
2. Focused Monitoring for Corporate Devices: Organizations can prioritize monitoring corporate endpoints to ensure sensitive files are not exfiltrated or improperly stored. Limiting sensitive data storage on personal devices can further reduce risk.

Practical use case:

While monitoring the leaked credentials of employees of one of the companies. We found a link for the free file-sharing service with the password:

After additional analysis, it was found that the employee has uploaded project-related documentation to the 4shared service:

M&A Scenarios: Pre-Acquisition Blind Spots

During mergers and acquisitions, vendors face legal constraints that prevent them from monitoring or sharing leaked credentials for organizations that have not yet been formally acquired. This gap leaves potential security risks unaddressed until after the acquisition is finalized.

Real-World Insight:
The sensitivity of the M&A process exacerbates this challenge. Organizations often avoid public disclosures before an acquisition is officially announced, further complicating efforts to assess info stealer risks.

Potential Strategies:

1. In-House Solutions for Pre-Acquisition Monitoring: Organizations can develop internal solutions to monitor potential acquisition targets. While this requires significant resources, it can close the visibility gap during the sensitive M&A process.
2. Proactive Risk Assessments: Conducting pre-acquisition audits or leveraging external consultants can help identify potential credential exposure and mitigate risks before integration.

While vendor solutions provide an invaluable baseline for managing info stealer risks, they are not a panacea. Organizations must address gaps in third-party systems, document monitoring, and M&A scenarios through internal processes, proactive risk assessments, and strategic investments. A tailored approach ensures these blind spots are minimized, providing a more comprehensive defense against the evolving threat landscape.

Expanding the Utility of Infostealer Visibility

The value of visibility into information-stealer activity extends far beyond simply identifying leaked credentials. When integrated strategically, insights from these logs can inform critical business decisions, strengthen partnerships, and uncover hidden risks. Organizations can unlock their full potential by leveraging information-stealer visibility across diverse operational contexts.

Third-Party Risk Management

Vendors and partners often represent the weakest link in an organization’s security chain. Attackers can pivot into the primary organization’s systems if their credentials are leaked or exploited. Without visibility into these risks, organizations may unknowingly expose themselves to cascading vulnerabilities.

How Visibility Helps:

• Identify compromised credentials from third-party vendors or contractors before they impact shared systems.
• Assess whether exposed credentials could grant access to critical systems or data.

Actionable Step:
Incorporate third-party monitoring into regular risk assessments, ensuring that any identified vulnerabilities are addressed collaboratively with partners.

Mergers & Acquisitions (M&A): Pre-Acquisition Risk Assessment

M&A activities are high-stakes processes where undisclosed risks can have far-reaching consequences. Info stealer logs can reveal compromised credentials or other vulnerabilities within the target company, providing essential insights before finalizing the acquisition.

How Visibility Helps:

• Assess the security hygiene of the target company, identifying leaked credentials tied to sensitive systems.
• Proactively mitigate potential risks before integration, reducing post-acquisition disruptions.

Actionable Step:
Conduct targeted risk assessments using internal monitoring or external expertise during the due diligence phase. This ensures that critical vulnerabilities tied to information-stealer activity are identified early.

Internal Audits and Incident Analysis

Organizations often conduct internal audits to evaluate their security posture, but these assessments may overlook the specific risks posed by info stealers. Without incorporating these insights, audits may fail to capture key vulnerabilities.

How Visibility Helps:

• Pinpoint compromised credentials within the organization to assess exposure risks.
• Understand how leaked credentials could facilitate lateral movement or privilege escalation within the network.

Actionable Step:
Integrate findings from info stealer logs into internal audit processes. Use these insights to validate the effectiveness of existing access controls and incident response plans.

Enhancing Strategic Decision-Making

Info stealer visibility is often treated as a tactical tool rather than a strategic asset. However, the data uncovered can inform broader decisions across compliance, operations, and business planning.

How Visibility Helps:

• Addressing gaps exposed through credential monitoring can improve compliance, particularly in industries with stringent data protection regulations like GDPR or HIPAA.
• Shape operational strategies by identifying recurring vulnerabilities or patterns tied to specific regions or employee behaviours.

Actionable Step:
Elevate the role of info stealer visibility in decision-making by presenting findings to executive stakeholders. Highlight how these insights align with organizational goals, such as reducing risk or achieving compliance.

Key Takeaway: Info stealer visibility is more than a security measure — it’s a strategic resource. By leveraging its insights across third-party risk management, M&A processes, internal audits, and strategic planning, organizations can transform data into actionable intelligence, bolstering their defenses and informing key decisions.