The XWorm RAT developers have expanded the malware’s capabilities with fresh plugins that turn it into a surveillance platform, cybersecurity firm Netskope reports.
A sophisticated, multi-functional Windows RAT first observed in 2022, XWorm provides attackers with full control over the infected systems, offering keylogging, screenshot capture, webcam access, and payload execution capabilities.
The malware’s developers have been constantly updating its codebase and adding new functionality, and the threat has remained highly active, with Netskope observing over 1,200 incidents across 100 organizations during the third quarter of the year.
Alongside new variants, the developers have also increased the number of plugins XWorm supports, from 35 in July 2025 to 46 in October 2026.
Some of these have been clearly designed for surveillance: enabling location tracking, live audio streaming, webcam capture, and interactive control over authenticated browser sessions.
“The Maps plugin provides victims’ GPS location without a user prompt. The Microphone plugin streams live audio from the victim’s device. HBrowser hijacks authenticated browser sessions without touching credentials, bypassing MFA entirely. Webcam capture is also available on demand,” Netskope says.
According to the cybersecurity company, the activity surrounding XWorm has increased since a cracked version of its builder was released publicly in June 2025, and the source code for RAT’s 6.4 version was leaked in August 2025.