How to Use VirusTotal Search by Submitter ID to Track File Origins and ActivityIn the world of cybersecurity, tracking the origin of a file and understanding its upload history can be essential for malware analysis, threat intelligence, and digital forensics. One of the advanced features available on VirusTotal is the ability to search by Submitter ID. This feature helps users identify files uploaded by a specific user or system, providing insight into file behavior and source patterns.
This topic explores how the VirusTotal Submitter ID search works, its benefits, use cases, and what users need to know before leveraging this tool effectively.
What Is VirusTotal?
VirusTotal is a free online platform that analyzes files and URLs for viruses, worms, trojans, and other kinds of malicious content. It uses multiple antivirus engines and scanners to offer a detailed report on whether a file is safe.
Security analysts, developers, and researchers use VirusTotal not only to detect threats but also to explore threat patterns, malware families, and indicators of compromise (IOCs).
Understanding Submitter ID in VirusTotal
The Submitter ID is a unique identifier linked to the account or system that submitted a file or URL to VirusTotal. This ID does not reveal the submitter’s personal identity but provides a way to track the behavior or submission patterns of a particular user.
When a file is uploaded to VirusTotal, metadata about the submission is saved. If multiple files are uploaded by the same Submitter ID, a search can group these together, helping analysts investigate related files or trends.
Can You Search by Submitter ID?
Access to Submitter ID search is limited. It’s typically available to VirusTotal Premium API users or enterprise-level accounts with advanced hunting and intelligence access. Free users do not have this capability by default.
If you have the right level of access, the feature allows you to query VirusTotal’s database using a specific Submitter ID to list all files uploaded by that entity.
How to Search Using Submitter ID
Step 1 Access the API
Most Submitter ID searches are performed via VirusTotal’s API. You will need
-
A valid Premium API key
-
Access rights to advanced search capabilities
Step 2 Format Your Query
The search query usually follows a format like
submitter"[ID or hash]"You can use this query in the search bar on VirusTotal Intelligence or through the API endpoint. The result will return files or URLs associated with that Submitter ID.
Step 3 Analyze the Results
Once the data is returned, you can
-
Compare file hashes
-
View submission timestamps
-
Check for repeated patterns
-
Cross-reference with other indicators
This can help trace malware propagation, discover new variants, or attribute activity to a known campaign.
Use Cases for Submitter ID Search
1. Malware Campaign Tracking
If an attacker is repeatedly uploading variants of a malware sample, using the Submitter ID search can uncover all related submissions.
2. Threat Attribution
In some cases, researchers can correlate Submitter IDs to known threat groups (without revealing identities), especially if those groups follow consistent behavior patterns.
3. File Family Analysis
If you’re analyzing a suspicious file and discover it was uploaded alongside similar files from the same submitter, this can strengthen your assessment that the file belongs to a certain malware family.
4. Security Research
Security teams can use this to study how certain threats evolve over time by tracking submission patterns across the same Submitter ID.
Limitations of Submitter ID Search
While useful, this feature has some limitations
-
Privacy Restrictions VirusTotal anonymizes data to protect submitter privacy.
-
Not Publicly Available Only advanced accounts have access.
-
Incomplete Context A Submitter ID doesn’t provide full attribution it’s a technical clue, not a personal identifier.
-
False Associations Multiple systems might share an ID due to automation, leading to possible noise in the data.
Best Practices for Using Submitter ID Search
-
Combine with Other Indicators Don’t rely on Submitter ID alone. Use it alongside file hashes, domain names, and behavior analysis.
-
Understand the Metadata Submission time, location (if available), and file type can add valuable context.
-
Use Enriched Tools If available, use VirusTotal’s graphing and intelligence modules to visualize relationships between submissions.
Alternatives to Submitter ID
If Submitter ID access is not available, consider using
-
File Hash Searches Useful for tracing known malware.
-
Similarity Matching Look for files with similar behavior or structure.
-
Behavior Tags and Labels Use tags assigned by VirusTotal’s machine learning or community submissions.
These methods can provide overlapping insights that support your investigation, even without Submitter ID access.
Who Benefits From This Feature?
The Submitter ID search is particularly useful for
-
Threat Intelligence Analysts
-
Incident Response Teams
-
Digital Forensics Experts
-
Advanced Security Researchers
It helps in quickly grouping malicious artifacts and understanding their origin and evolution over time.
Searching by Submitter ID in VirusTotal is a powerful feature for cybersecurity professionals who need to trace file origins, monitor malicious campaigns, and investigate threat actors. Although it requires premium access and has some limitations, it provides valuable metadata that can enrich your analysis and lead to better-informed security decisions.
Whether you’re part of an incident response team or a researcher exploring malware patterns, understanding how to effectively use this feature can save time and uncover hidden relationships between files. It’s one more advanced tool in the growing set of capabilities that make VirusTotal a cornerstone of modern threat intelligence.