--- title: New SynkLoader malware pushed in Microsoft Teams... description: A newly identified malware family called SynkLoader is being spread through Microsoft Teams phishing campaigns that impersonate IT help desks. Victims are... canonical: https://daily.dev/posts/new-synkloader-malware-pushed-in-microsoft-teams-phishing-campaign-jacezqj83 twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:site: @dailydotdev og:type: website og:site_name: daily.dev og:title: New SynkLoader malware pushed in Microsoft Teams phishing campaign | daily.dev og:description: A newly identified malware family called SynkLoader is being spread through Microsoft Teams phishing campaigns that impersonate IT help desks. Victims are... og:url: https://daily.dev/posts/new-synkloader-malware-pushed-in-microsoft-teams-phishing-campaign-jacezqj83 og:image: https://api.daily.dev/og/posts/JACeZqj83.png og:image:alt: New SynkLoader malware pushed in Microsoft Teams phishing campaign og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 630 og:locale: en --- > ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://daily.dev/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # New SynkLoader malware pushed in Microsoft Teams phishing campaign **[BleepingComputer](https://daily.dev/sources/bleepingcomputer)** · 3 min read · 0 upvotes · 0 comments ## Summary A newly identified malware family called SynkLoader is being spread through Microsoft Teams phishing campaigns that impersonate IT help desks. Victims are tricked into installing a fake 'PowerShell Cleaner' MSI hosted on Azure, which deploys modules including a fake Windows lock screen (PhishLocker) to steal passwords, a reverse proxy for network access, a remote shell, and VNC-style desktop control. Researchers at Expel, who discovered the malware via a honeypot, believe it is likely used in ransomware operations due to its focus on profiling Active Directory environment size. The fake lock screen can be detected using Alt+Tab or Ctrl+Alt+Delete. ## Full article daily.dev links to this article rather than hosting it. Read it at the original source: ## Questions this post answers ### What is SynkLoader malware and how does it steal Windows passwords? SynkLoader is a malware family distributed via Microsoft Teams phishing campaigns impersonating IT help desks, first compiled and distributed around July 28, 2026. It tricks victims into installing a fake 'PowerShell Cleaner' MSI hosted on Azure, which deploys a PhishLocker module displaying a convincing fake Windows lock screen to capture the victim's login password. _Security teams tracking new social-engineering malware tactics can follow research like this on daily.dev._ ### How can I tell if a Windows lock screen is fake and part of a phishing attack? A fake lock screen used by malware like PhishLocker is just a full-screen borderless GUI application overlaying the real desktop, so pressing Alt+Tab exposes the active windows underneath it, revealing the deception. Ctrl+Alt+Delete is another reliable way to check whether an unexpected lock screen is genuine. _Developers and IT staff verifying suspicious lock screens can track defensive tips like this on daily.dev._ ### What malware modules does SynkLoader use to compromise a corporate network after initial infection? SynkLoader includes seven modules: a System Profiler that gathers host, user, and Active Directory details; a Persistence Module using scheduled tasks; PhishLocker for credential theft via a fake lock screen; a TrafficRedirector reverse proxy; an interactive PowerShell RAT shell; a StreamMaster VNC-style remote desktop tool; and a Module Status Script reporting active threads. _Incident responders mapping out attacker tooling can follow breakdowns like this on daily.dev._ ## Similar posts on daily.dev - [New Malware turns Microsoft cloud into its control center](https://daily.dev/posts/new-malware-turns-microsoft-cloud-into-its-control-center-gwsh3laj6) · CSO Online · 0 upvotes · 0 comments - [KongTuke hackers now use Microsoft Teams for corporate breaches](https://daily.dev/posts/kongtuke-hackers-now-use-microsoft-teams-for-corporate-breaches-mfyblr8i6) · BleepingComputer · 0 upvotes · 0 comments - [AI-Powered 'DeepLoad' Steals Credentials, Evades Detection](https://daily.dev/posts/ai-powered-deepload-steals-credentials-evades-detection-aapwd3us2) · Dark Reading · 2 upvotes · 0 comments --- Tags: [#security](https://daily.dev/tags/security), [#windows](https://daily.dev/tags/windows), [#malware](https://daily.dev/tags/malware), [#phishing](https://daily.dev/tags/phishing) [View this post on daily.dev](https://daily.dev/posts/new-synkloader-malware-pushed-in-microsoft-teams-phishing-campaign-jacezqj83) ```json {"@context":"https://schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https://daily.dev/#organization","name":"daily.dev","url":"https://daily.dev","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://daily.dev/apple-touch-icon.png","width":180,"height":180},"sameAs":["https://twitter.com/dailydotdev","https://github.com/dailydotdev","https://www.linkedin.com/company/daily-dev-ltd"]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https://daily.dev/#website","url":"https://daily.dev","name":"daily.dev","publisher":{"@id":"https://daily.dev/#organization"},"potentialAction":{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https://daily.dev/search?q={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}}]} {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"TechArticle","headline":"New SynkLoader malware pushed in Microsoft Teams phishing campaign","url":"https://daily.dev/posts/new-synkloader-malware-pushed-in-microsoft-teams-phishing-campaign-jacezqj83","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://daily.dev/posts/new-synkloader-malware-pushed-in-microsoft-teams-phishing-campaign-jacezqj83"},"datePublished":"2026-08-22T02:32:55.962Z","dateModified":"2026-08-24T15:49:37.536Z","description":"A newly identified malware family called SynkLoader is being spread through Microsoft Teams phishing campaigns that impersonate IT help desks. 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It tricks victims into installing a fake 'PowerShell Cleaner' MSI hosted on Azure, which deploys a PhishLocker module displaying a convincing fake Windows lock screen to capture the victim's login password. Security teams tracking new social-engineering malware tactics can follow research like this on daily.dev."}},{"@type":"Question","name":"How can I tell if a Windows lock screen is fake and part of a phishing attack?","acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"A fake lock screen used by malware like PhishLocker is just a full-screen borderless GUI application overlaying the real desktop, so pressing Alt+Tab exposes the active windows underneath it, revealing the deception. Ctrl+Alt+Delete is another reliable way to check whether an unexpected lock screen is genuine. 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