A Malware retrospective: SubSeven

Foreword

Commencing another instalment of my stimulating series, “A Malware Retrospective,” we find ourselves stepping back into the realm of nostalgia once more. After our in-depth look at the impactful Beast RAT, which dominated the early 2000s, our historical lens now pivots toward another remarkable specimen of the era: “SubSeven.” This Remote Access Trojan, otherwise referred to as “Sub7,” was the brainchild of the elusive and enigmatic figure known as “Mobman.”

There comes a time in the life of every hacker or cybersecurity professional when a singular catalyst sparks the transition from novice to seasoned expert, from enthusiastic script kiddie to dedicated professional. For me, that catalyst, that game-changer, was SubSeven. This program wielded an influence on my life that remains unparalleled to this day. It was the driving force that propelled me into the Trojan Scene and the wider world of InfoSec.

In the days when SubSeven first caught my attention, I was merely a child, brimming with curiosity but bereft of any real understanding of how things worked in the InfoSec domain. The complexities of trojans, malware, and the cyber threat landscape seemed as intricate and impenetrable as arcane rituals. To my young and inquisitive mind, they appeared like a form of technological sorcery — a sort of black magic. The allure of this mystery was irresistible.

So profound was the impact of SubSeven on my life that it essentially charted the course for my subsequent and…