A sophisticated malware tool dubbed “Baldwin Killer” is reportedly being marketed on underground forums as a powerful solution for bypassing antivirus (AV) and endpoint detection and response (EDR) security products. 

Security researchers have identified a forum listing offering this tool for prices ranging from $300 to $580, with transactions conducted through escrow services to protect buyers and sellers.

According to the listing discovered in April 2025, Baldwin Killer is advertised as a “[Cheap/Deshevo] AV/EDR killer” for Windows systems that employ multiple evasion techniques. 

The seller claims the tool was developed beginning in 2024 and has undergone “a huge number of tests and improvements” before its recent release.

Baldwin Killer’s Evasion Tactics

According to the Dark Web post, Baldwin Killer reportedly leverages several advanced techniques to evade detection by major security solutions. 

Security researchers analyzing the offering note that it utilizes a kernel-mode rootkit (Ring 0) approach similar to the “Chaos-Rootkit” to hide malicious processes through Direct Kernel Object Manipulation (DKOM). This method allows the malware to operate at the same privilege level as the operating system itself.

The malware also allegedly employs DLL side-loading, a technique that exploits the Windows Dynamic Link Library search order to execute malicious code within the context of legitimate applications. 

This method has proven effective against security products because it uses signed, legitimate executables to load unauthorized code.

“DLL side-loading has become increasingly popular among threat actors because its behavior is difficult to detect,” explains Dr. Marcus Wei, a cybersecurity analyst at Digital Defense Institute. 

“When malicious code executes within the context of a legitimate application, it often evades detection by security mechanisms looking for suspicious activities.”

Another key feature is a User Account Control (UAC) bypass exploit that reportedly manipulates Windows registry keys. This allows the malware to elevate privileges without triggering user permission dialogs that might alert victims to suspicious activity.

Emerging Threat Landscape

Security experts are particularly concerned about Baldwin Killer’s reported ability to terminate EDR processes through exploitation of CVE-2024-1853, a vulnerability in the Zemana AntiLogger driver. 

Similar capabilities have been observed in another tool called “Killer Ultra,” which was recovered from Qilin ransomware attacks earlier this year.

The forum listing indicates the malware uses what’s described as “reflective DLL injection” to load malicious code directly from memory rather than from disk, further complicating detection efforts.

Baldwin Killer also allegedly employs Early Launch Anti-Malware (ELAM) evasion techniques to circumvent Microsoft‘s protective measures that are designed to validate drivers during the boot process.

Organizations are advised to implement defense-in-depth strategies that don’t rely solely on EDR/AV solutions, including network segmentation, principle of least privilege, and behavior-based anomaly detection systems. 

Security teams should also ensure their systems are updated with the latest patches to address known vulnerabilities that such tools might exploit.

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