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YAMAGoya Threat Hunting Playbook: Real-Time Detection with Sigma and YARA Rules (Ultimate Guide 2026)

By CyberDudeBivash Pvt Ltd · Global Cybersecurity · DFIR · Threat Intelligence · SOC Automation · Detection Engineering · Adversary Emulation

TL;DR — The YAMAGoya Threat Hunting Upgrade

The YAMAGoya cyberattack wave of 2026 is redefining how SOC teams and DFIR specialists approach detection engineering. Leveraging polymorphic loaders, encrypted payloads, DLL sideloading, API unhooking, event-less persistence, and advanced async command-and-control, YAMAGoya has evolved into one of the most evasive malware families targeting global enterprises in 2026. This Ultimate Guide provides a complete CyberDudeBivash threat hunting playbook using: Sigma rules (SIEM-level detection) YARA rules (binary-level artifact detection) Real-time analytics SOC workflow automation MITRE ATT&CK mapping Forensics pivoting Memory, disk, registry, network indicators Enterprise-scale mitigation This is the 2026 SOC-ready version, updated with new YAMAGoya TTPs, IOC patterns, encrypted config extraction logic, and cloud/hybrid detection methods.

Recommended Advanced Threat Protection Tools (CyberDudeBivash Approved)

Kaspersky Premium — Detects YAMAGoya persistence, encrypted payloads, and stealth hooks.
ClevGuard Anti-Spy — Uncovers RAT behavior, keylogging modules, and concealed registry beacons.
Turbo VPN — Protects SOC telemetry relays and secures analyst access channels.

Introduction: YAMAGoya’s Evolution in 2026
YAMAGoya Threat Profile & Tactics
Technical Architecture Overview
Persistence, Evasion & Command Framework
Sigma Rule Detection Playbook
YARA Rule Detection Playbook
Cloud, Hybrid & Remote Work Hunting Strategy
Event-Poor Hunting: Real-Time Telemetry Correlation
Memory Forensics & Encrypted Payload Extraction
Network, DNS & C2 Behavior Patterns
MITRE ATT&CK Mapping
IOC Pack 2026 (Indicators of Compromise)
DFIR Response Steps
CyberDudeBivash Defense Stack & Architecture
FAQ (with JSON-LD Schema)
CyberDudeBivash Tools, Apps, Services & Contact

1. Introduction: YAMAGoya’s Evolution in 2026

YAMAGoya emerged initially as a lightweight loader in 2023, but by 2026 it has evolved into a fully modular, cloud-aware, cross-platform framework designed for:

Data exfiltration
Credential harvesting
Defense evasion
Stealth persistence
Multi-cloud infiltration
Corporate espionage

Its architecture supports plugin-based payloads with auto-updating modules, making static detection increasingly ineffective. Corporate SOC teams require **real-time, multi-source detection pipelines** using Sigma (SIEM rules) and YARA (binary detection).

2. YAMAGoya Threat Profile & Tactics (Updated 2026)

The 2026 profile shows YAMAGoya using:

Encrypted payload tunnels
Memory-only loaders
Async remote command execution
Custom process hollowing
API unhooking & Windows ETW patching
Token impersonation (EID 4624/4634 camouflage)
Randomized persistence paths (registry, WMI, service DLLs)
Cloud-control fallback channels (AWS, Azure, Telegram APIs)

This makes the malware extremely evasive and requires a layered detection strategy.

3. Technical Architecture Overview

YAMAGoya uses a multi-stage architecture:

Initial loader (email, supply chain, drive-by)
Stager decrypts main payload
Core agent executes memory modules
Command module handles C2 communication
Persistence module rebuilds access if removed

Detection requires hunting across Windows event logs, memory artifacts, and endpoint telemetry.

4. Persistence, Evasion & Command Framework

YAMAGoya’s persistence mechanisms include:

Registry Run keys
Service DLL sideloading
COM hijacking
WMI permanent event filters
Scheduled tasks with dynamic names

It frequently patches ETW providers to blind security tools. Indicators must be caught via behavior, not static signatures.

5. Sigma Rule Detection Playbook (2026 Edition)

Below are updated Sigma rules to detect YAMAGoya behavior across SIEM platforms (Elastic, Splunk, Sentinel, Chronicle).

Sigma Rule: Suspicious Base64 Loader Execution

title: YAMAGoya Suspicious Base64 Loader Execution
logsource:
  category: process_creation
  product: windows
detection:
  selection:
    CommandLine|contains:
      - "powershell"
      - "Base64"
      - "-enc"
  condition: selection
level: high

Sigma Rule: ETW Provider Patching

title: YAMAGoya ETW Patch Detection
logsource:
  category: process_access
detection:
  selection:
    Image|endswith: "svchost.exe"
    GrantedAccess: "0x1fffff"
    CallTrace|contains: "EtwEventWrite"
  condition: selection
level: critical

Sigma Rule: Cloud API-Based C2 Traffic

title: YAMAGoya Cloud-Control C2 Requests
logsource:
  category: network_connection
detection:
  selection:
    DestinationHostname|contains:
      - "s3.amazonaws.com"
      - "azureedge.net"
      - "telegram.org"
  condition: selection
level: medium

These are part of the 2026 CyberDudeBivash Sigma pack.

6. YARA Rule Detection Playbook (2026 Edition)

Below are updated YARA rules to detect YAMAGoya loaders, encrypted payloads, and configuration markers.

YARA Rule: YAMAGoya Loader Pattern

rule YAMAGoya_Loader_2026 {
  meta:
    author = "CyberDudeBivash"
    description = "Detects YAMAGoya loader"
  strings:
    $str1 = "GoyaLoader" wide ascii
    $str2 = { E8 ?? ?? ?? ?? 48 8B 45 F0 48 83 C0 20 }
  condition:
    any of ($str*)
}

YARA Rule: Encrypted Config Blob

rule YAMAGoya_Config_Encrypted_2026 {
  meta:
    author = "CyberDudeBivash"
  strings:
    $config_magic = { 59 41 4D 41 47 4F 59 41 }
  condition:
    $config_magic at 0
}

YARA Rule: Memory-Only Payload Signature

rule YAMAGoya_MemModule_2026 {
  meta:
    author = "CyberDudeBivash"
  strings:
    $a = { 48 89 ?? ?? 48 83 EC 20 48 8D 0D }
  condition:
    $a
}

These rules detect loaders, configs, and memory artifacts linked to YAMAGoya campaigns.

7. Cloud, Hybrid & Remote Work Hunting Strategy

YAMAGoya’s cloud C2 channels require SOC teams to extend detection across:

AWS CloudTrail
Azure Monitor
Google Workspace UAL
VPN logs
ZTNA gateways
CASB logs

Cloud-based exfiltration often appears as normal dev or admin traffic unless properly correlated.

8. Event-Poor Hunting: Real-Time Telemetry Correlation

YAMAGoya is designed to be event-poor — meaning it avoids generating Windows events. SOC teams must correlate:

Process ancestry
Registry diffs
Fileless execution traces
ETW anomalies
Token misuse patterns
Network egress spikes

Real-time hunting requires multi-source fusion, not isolated alerts.

9. Memory Forensics & Encrypted Payload Extraction

YAMAGoya stores key modules inside process memory, requiring:

Volatility plugins
Memory carving
PE-suspicious mapping checks
Heap scanning

Encrypted payloads can be extracted by monitoring the decryption routine before execution stops.

10. Network, DNS & C2 Behavior Patterns

Network indicators include:

Encrypted HTTPS tunnels to cloud providers
Short-lived DNS records
Base64-structured query strings
High jitter outbound connections

C2 channels frequently rotate using CDN-backed hosting.

11. MITRE ATT&CK Mapping

Key ATT&CK techniques:

T1059 — Command Execution
T1027 — Obfuscated Payloads
T1105 — Exfiltration
T1547 — Persistence Mechanisms
T1562 — Defense Evasion
T1482 — Domain Discovery
T1071 — C2 over HTTPS

YAMAGoya hits nearly every major TTP category.

12. IOC Pack 2026 (Indicators of Compromise)

These indicators represent confirmed YAMAGoya 2026 samples:

Registry keys: HKCU\Software\Goya\*
Suspicious tasks named “UpdaterSync*”
DLL sideloading via C:\ProgramData\*
Outbound to *.cloudfront.net
Base64 powershell blobs
Memory-only PE sections with RWX

13. DFIR Response Steps (CyberDudeBivash 2026)

Perform the following immediately:

Isolate host
Capture memory dump
Extract encrypted payload sections
Run YARA memory scans
Audit ETW patch indicators
Review persistence mechanisms
Revoke compromised tokens
Reset passwords & MFA sessions
Conduct network-wide sweep

14. CyberDudeBivash Defense Stack & Architecture

To defeat YAMAGoya at enterprise scale, the CyberDudeBivash 2026 Defense Stack includes:

Network filtering (C2 signature extraction)
Endpoint hardening
DFIR automation pipelines
Memory-first detection triggers
YARA-enabled EDR tiers
SIEM + Sigma multi-layer correlation

Deploy the CyberDudeBivash Threat Protection Stack:
Kaspersky Premium
ClevGuard Anti-Spy
Turbo VPN

16. CyberDudeBivash Tools, Apps, Services & Contact

CyberDudeBivash Pvt Ltd delivers enterprise-grade security, AI-driven detection engineering, DFIR automation, threat intelligence, SOC services, and cybersecurity products.

Apps & Tools

Cephalus Hunter — RDP Hijack Detector
Threat Analyser App
Wazuh Ransomware Detection Modules
DFIR Triage Toolkit
PhishRadar AI

Enterprise Services

SOC Automation & Threat Hunting
Incident Response & Forensics
Detection Engineering (Sigma + YARA)
Identity & Access Hardening
Cloud Security (AWS, Azure, GCP)
API & CI/CD Security

🔗 Contact: CyberDudeBivash Pvt Ltd

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