CitrixBleed 2 (CVE-2025-5777) 7 Steps to Dragonforce Ransomware
Essential information
- Published
- 09/07/2026 15:20
- Modified
- —
- Source / Author
- AlienVault
- Confidence
- 100/100
- Report type(s)
- threat-report
- Labels / Tags
- citrixbleed 2 cve-2025-5777 dragonforce impacket initial access broker mimikatz netscaler privilege escalation ransomware screenconnect session hijacking
- Related entities
- 4 vulnerabilities (cve), 9 indicators, 6 observables, 1 intrusion sets (apt), 17 techniques (mitre), 3 malware
Description
Between January and June 2026, multiple unrelated organizations experienced nearly identical intrusions following a standardized seven-step attack chain. The attacks exploited CitrixBleed 2 (CVE-2025-5777), a memory-overread vulnerability in NetScaler ADC and Gateway appliances. Attackers sent malformed pre-authentication login requests that leaked NetScaler memory containing valid session tokens, bypassing multi-factor authentication by hijacking active sessions. Following initial access, threat actors consistently escalated privileges to SYSTEM using a registry-symlink exploitation technique targeting the AppMgmt service, created rogue administrator accounts (CtxAppVCOMService, ctxsvc, test), and established persistence through legitimate remote access tools including ScreenConnect and Zoho Assist. The most advanced case culminated in DragonForce ransomware deployment. The highly standardized tradecraft, reused infrastructure, and consistent indicators across unrelated victims suggest a single Initial Ac...