$30 Infostealer “DarkCloud” Is Fueling a Surge in Enterprise Breaches

Flashpoint’s threat intelligence team has uncovered new details about DarkCloud, a rapidly spreading, commercially available infostealer that is reshaping the initial‑access landscape for cybercriminals.

DarkCloud is part of a growing wave of low‑cost, highly scalable infostealers that are lowering the barrier to enterprise compromise. First observed in 2022 and openly sold on Telegram and a clearnet storefront for as little as $30, DarkCloud gives even low‑skill threat actors the ability to harvest credentials at scale and gain enterprise‑wide access.

Flashpoint’s latest analysis reveals several concerning trends:

  • DarkCloud is written in Visual Basic 6.0, a legacy language that helps it evade modern detection tools and signature‑based defenses.
  • Its encryption and string‑obfuscation techniques make it harder for defenders to analyze and block.
  • It is fully commercialized, with subscription tiers, active development, and a growing user base on Telegram—mirroring the professionalization of the cybercrime economy.
  • Credential theft at scale enables attackers to pivot into ransomware, business email compromise, and long‑term espionage operations.

Flashpoint’s researchers warn that DarkCloud represents a broader shift: infostealers are now the dominant initial‑access vector in 2026, giving attackers a cheap, fast, and reliable way to infiltrate organizations.

Why this matters:
Infostealers like DarkCloud are no longer niche tools – they are becoming the backbone of modern cybercrime. With DarkCloud’s low cost, ease of access, and ability to bypass traditional defenses, organizations across every sector face heightened risk. Flashpoint’s analysis provides rare visibility into how these tools are built, sold, and deployed – and what security teams must do to defend against them.

Flashpoint can offer:

  • Expert interviews with the analysts who dissected DarkCloud
  • Insights into the commercialization of infostealers and the threat‑actor economy
  • Guidance for CISOs on mitigating credential‑theft‑driven breaches
  • Data from Flashpoint’s 2026 threat intelligence research

You can learn more here: Understanding the DarkCloud Infostealer | Flashpoint

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