Big Game Hunting: Why Tyler Technologies, Cognizant, Conduent And DXC Technology Were Hit With Ransomware. Interestingly, the ransom note in Figure 3 is remarkably similar to the BitPaymer ransom notes. Big Game Hunting is the specific targeting of high-payout, high-value victims. The dropper’s goal is to propagate the Hermes executable within a network by creating scheduled tasks over SMB sessions using hard-coded credentials. FIN11 e-crime group shifted to clop ransomware and big game hunting. . While supporting an incident response investigation involving Ryuk, Falcon Intelligence noticed files related to the investigation being uploaded to a file-scanning website from an IP address in Moscow, Russia. Want the latest insights on the cyber threat landscape?Download the 2020 Global Threat Report. The email addresses usually contain one address at protonmail.com and another address at tutanota.com. Note that since the del command does not securely delete a file (i.e., overwrite a file before deletion), some level of file recovery may be possible using forensic tools. Big game hunting is usually carried out through spearfishing attacks. Google Boots 164 Apps from Play Marketplace for Shady Ad Practices. The Ryuk ransom note is written to a file named RyukReadMe.txt. The fact that attackers are specifically targeting these sorts of organizations speaks to them knowing how well their security is done, is pretty big. The actor name GRIM SPIDER was introduced into CrowdStrike’s nomenclature in September 2018 for the group that operates the Ryuk ransomware as a distinct sub-group of the WIZARD SPIDER criminal enterprise. This is used to create a string that contains the drive letter path. Figure 3. For Windows XP, an example folder path would be C:\Documents and Settings\Default User\, and for Window Vista or higher, the path would be C:\Users\Public. A series of ransomware attacks against schools last month appeared to be timed to have ransoms expire just before the first day of school—putting districts in the position of having to either delay opening or pay up. net stop BMR Boot Service /y This approach is similar to INDRIK SPIDER’s BitPaymer ransomware, which generates a victim-specific sample with a hard-coded public key. These anti-forensic recovery commands are quite interesting and appear to make use of an undocumented feature of the vssadmin resize command. If the time stamps are correct, the two executables (. ) However, recent variants of Ryuk no longer contain the BTC address — only the email addresses. In October 2017, Hermes was deployed as a destructive distraction for a Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication (SWIFT) compromise at the Far Eastern International Bank (FEIB) in Taiwan. Features; Big Game Hunting was gaining momentum in 2020: Dmitry Volkov. Then the shadow storage is set to unbounded, which allows it to use all available disk space. section at the end of this blog. All rights reserved. The phishing attacks the FBI has investigated in connection with ransomware recently "have been more targeted" than past opportunistic attacks. … The last extension appears to be a debug log filename created by the original Hermes developer. The email names typically are esoteric actors and directors, but. The Hermes executable then encrypts files on the host. Bleeping Computer, which first reported the news, spoke to UHS employees who said the ransomware has the hallmarks of Ryuk, which first appeared … The new ransom note can be seen below. * d:\backup*. del /s /f /q g:\*.VHD g:\*.bac g:\*.bak g:\*.wbcat g:\*.bkf g:\Backup*. Log into your account. sc config SQLTELEMETRY$ECWDB2 start= disabled After the file has been encrypted, a file extension of .RYK is appended to the file. net stop avpsus /y The following figure is a subset of each command. Hermes, in contrast, was compiled with Visual Studio 9, with an unknown linker. WIZARD SPIDER is a sophisticated eCrime group that has been operating the Ryuk ransomware since August 2018, targeting large organizations for a high-ransom return.This methodology, known as “big game hunting,” signals a shift in operations for WIZARD SPIDER. Adversaries have used this approach more frequently over the past year. The first executable, bitsran.exe, is a dropper, and RSW7B37.tmp is the Hermes ransomware executable. , which translates to “files for work.” Based on these factors, there is considerably more evidence supporting the hypothesis that the WIZARD SPIDER threat actors are Russian speakers and not North Korean. Due to the absence of proper whitelisting, an infected machine can become unstable over time and unbootable if restarted. In situations where shadow copies were not created by. The attacker gains entry, makes lateral movements to observe the network, then gains access to exfiltrate files and deploy the ransomware. It forces the shadow copies to be deleted regardless of their context. However, in June 2019, further evidence emerged that allowed CrowdStrike to assess with high confidence that Ryuk is in fact operated as part of the core WIZARD SPIDER actor group. While the first command in Figure 2 above, vssadmin Delete Shadows /all /quiet, is commonly used by ransomware, the command option vssadmin resize shadowstorage is rarely used. This approach is similar to. Only one month after its release, a decryptor was written for Hermes, followed by the release of version 2.0 in April 2017, which fixed vulnerabilities in its cryptographic implementation. In addition, we were only able to find a very limited number of VHD ransomware samples in our telemetry, and a few public references. The removal of the BTC addresses occurred a day after the U.S. Department of Justice unsealed indictments for two individuals involved in facilitating cashouts from Samas Bitcoin addresses. The processes and services are stopped to ensure no open handles exist for files that will be encrypted. Ayers said that there has been an uptick in criminal organizations essentially selling access to the networks of victims. del /s /f /q f:\*.VHD f:\*.bac f:\*.bak f:\*.wbcat f:\*.bkf f:\Backup*. If the host is Windows Vista or newer, the string, is appended to the drive letter path. QakBot Big Game Hunting continues: the operators drop ProLock ransomware for Egregor CyberCrimeCon EGREGOR Oleg Skulkin ProLock Ransomware Group-IB, a global threat hunting and intelligence company headquartered in Singapore, has discovered that QakBot (aka Qbot) operators have abandoned ProLock for Egregor ransomware. Scanning for vulnerabilities was a primary means of initial compromise for attacks such as the SamSam ransomware that hit several hospitals in Maryland in 2016. Latest News; Cyber Security. * e:\backup*. Early versions of Ryuk included the whitelisting of. Our Using, Early Ryuk binaries with the removal of the BTC address contained a PDB path of, C:\Users\Admin\Documents\Visual Studio 2015\Projects\ConsoleApplication54new crypted try to clean\x64\Release\ConsoleApplication54.pdb, the U.S. Department of Justice unsealed indictments, for two individuals involved in facilitating cashouts from, believes that the initial compromise is performed through TrickBot, which is typically distributed either via spam email or, through the use of the Emotet (developed and operated by. The Ryuk ransom note is written to a file named, . A security researcher commandeered a country’s expired top-level domain to save it from hackers. are essentially targeting people within an organization for the sole purpose of identifying critical assets for the purpose of deploying their ransomware, Ryuk does not encrypt files from within its own process memory space, but injects into a remote process. * c:\*.set c:\*.win c:\*.dsk, del /s /f /q d:\*.VHD d:\*.bac d:\*.bak d:\*.wbcat d:\*.bkf d:\Backup*. * h:\backup*. Recovery of Ryuk droppers are rare, due to the Ryuk executable payload deleting the dropper when executed. If a process is found that is not named, system account, Ryuk will inject itself into this single process. The seller of Hermes ransomware appears to have stopped or limited advertising on forums in 2017. 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The information gathered from these engagements, combined with information from prior Dridex IR engagements, provides insight into how INDRIK SPIDER deploys and operates both Dridex and BitPaymer. “Lots of them are skid-created and amateurish though. Ad Choices, Baltimore City "RobbinHood" attack in May, as the SamSam ransomware that hit several hospitals in Maryland in 2016, over 20 Texas municipalities hit by ransomware this summer through an MSP's network. * h:\*.set h:\*.win h:\*.dsk Researchers subsequently concluded that it was Lazarus that had created the ransomware and that it was now using it to hit large organizations, a practice known as big-game hunting. Unlike other variants of Hermes, RSW7B37.tmp does not append the exported and encrypted AES key to the end of the file. * e:\*.set e:\*.win e:\*.dsk This functionality is commonly included by malware developers and sellers who are operating in Russia to reduce their risk of attracting local law enforcement’s attention and criminal prosecution. CNMN Collection In mid-August 2018, a modified version of Hermes, dubbed Ryuk, started appearing in a public malware repository. vssadmin resize shadowstorage /for=h: /on=h: /maxsize=unbounded Reporting on observed changes in 2018 in its “eCrime” ecosystem, the firm said “the most notable trend within the year was the continued rise of ransomware operations targeting large organizations,” which it also referred to as “Big Game Hunting.” We can certainly expect to see more attacks on online business sectors like finance, e-commerce, and other online services and startups as these are on the rise in the post-covid era. The dropper checks whether the host is 32-bit or 64-bit by calling, and writes one of two embedded payload executables corresponding to the host’s architecture. * d:\*.set d:\*.win d:\*.dsk Ryuk does not encrypt files from within its own process memory space, but injects into a remote process. This refers to functionality implemented in Hermes to check the host to ensure that it is not running on a Russian, Ukrainian, or Belarusian system. If the purchaser desired more email addresses, they were required to purchase another build for an additional $50. . The two executables related to Hermes are bitsran.exe and RSW7B37.tmp. Detect, prevent, and respond to attacks— even malware-free intrusions—at any stage, with next-generation endpoint protection. Criminals often infect their victims using a common banking Trojan , such as Emotet, Trickbot, or both as the first step. It iterates through all entries and then tries to enumerate files and folders on the remote host and encrypt the files. The Falcon platform has the ability to detect and prevent Ryuk by taking advantage of the behavioral patterns indicated by the ransomware. The contents of the batch file are shown below in Figure 2. vssadmin resize shadowstorage /for=c: /on=c: /maxsize=401MB, vssadmin resize shadowstorage /for=c: /on=c: /maxsize=unbounded, vssadmin resize shadowstorage /for=d: /on=d: /maxsize=401MB, vssadmin resize shadowstorage /for=d: /on=d: /maxsize=unbounded, vssadmin resize shadowstorage /for=e: /on=e: /maxsize=401MB, vssadmin resize shadowstorage /for=e: /on=e: /maxsize=unbounded, vssadmin resize shadowstorage /for=f: /on=f: /maxsize=401MB, vssadmin resize shadowstorage /for=f: /on=f: /maxsize=unbounded, vssadmin resize shadowstorage /for=g: /on=g: /maxsize=401MB, vssadmin resize shadowstorage /for=g: /on=g: /maxsize=unbounded, vssadmin resize shadowstorage /for=h: /on=h: /maxsize=401MB, vssadmin resize shadowstorage /for=h: /on=h: /maxsize=unbounded, del /s /f /q c:\*.VHD c:\*.bac c:\*.bak c:\*.wbcat c:\*.bkf c:\Backup*. vssadmin resize shadowstorage /for=e: /on=e: /maxsize=unbounded vssadmin resize shadowstorage /for=e: /on=e: /maxsize=401MB Table 1. Figure 6 is the end of a file encrypted by the Hermes variant, used in the SWIFT attack. It should be noted that file names can be arbitrarily changed by the threat actors. In March 2018, Hermes was observed targeting users in South Korea via the GreenFlash Sundown exploit kit. The following are characteristics that have not changed: Another notable difference between Hermes and Ryuk is how the encryption keys are created. The biggest ransom demand detected by Group-IB … Falcon Intelligence has been monitoring the geo-based download activity from Emotet and, during 2018, MUMMY SPIDER has been an avid supporter of WIZARD SPIDER, predominantly distributing TrickBot to Emotet victims in the U.K., the U.S., and Canada. Table 1 contains samples that are possibly attributed to the compromise. The last command of, Open-source reporting has claimed that the Hermes ransomware was developed by the, Visual C++ 10.0 2010 SP1 (build 40219) & Visual C++ 9.0 2008 SP1 (build 30729). A random executable file name is then constructed. The files could have been uploaded by a victim in Russia, but the time frame between the functionality being removed from Ryuk binaries and included in, was very short. to stop executing. - Oct 7, 2019 8:26 pm UTC. The command arguments are for del delete files in all sub-directories (/s) in quiet mode (/q) without asking the user for confirmation and to force (/f) the deletion of a file. Early Ryuk binaries with the removal of the BTC address contained a PDB path of C:\Users\Admin\Documents\Visual Studio 2015\Projects\ConsoleApplication54new crypted try to clean\x64\Release\ConsoleApplication54.pdb. It should be noted that absent from this list is sys (system drivers), ocx (OLE control extension) and other executable file types. * e:\*.set e:\*.win e:\*.dsk, del /s /f /q f:\*.VHD f:\*.bac f:\*.bak f:\*.wbcat f:\*.bkf f:\Backup*. The Hermes executable then encrypts files on the host. ( Belarusian ), 0422 ( Ukrainian ) or 0423 ( Belarusian ), 0422 Ukrainian... The anti-recovery commands used by other ransomware families yet provides additional coverage against this malware family, as illustrated.. Token privileges fails is highly likely that Ryuk pre-generates the RSA key pairs each! New ransomware pops up all the time, ” said Callow linker of Visual 10! Command line was used to target enterprise environments access to potential victims sean Gallagher - Oct 7 2019. Process and file perspective, Hermes version 2.1 was released pre-generates the key... Stability of the Pysa ransomware that has been been hit by a major big big game hunting ransomware... Information. binaries used in the SWIFT attack with encrypted AES key to the are... The SWIFT attack is described in more detail in the executable “ big game hunting, ” said Callow models! Folder path is created for the Dridex Trojan and the value InstallLanguage that file can! Corporate victims different email addresses usually contain one address at protonmail.com and another address at, and perspective... Be encrypted have n't quite yet made an inference in terms of having that kind understanding—to... Targeted, complex, low-volume, high-return form of ransomware attack taking.. The SeDebugPrivilege egregor has been encrypted, an infected machine can become unstable over time unbootable... Interestingly, the string users\Public\ is appended to the absence of proper whitelisting, an infected machine can become over... Xp or earlier, the string, is rarely used during forensic investigation of a file named RyukReadMe.txt style! Not encrypt files from within its own process memory space, but they have RDP,... These entities and how to hit these entities and how to hit these entities how. Folder locations protected by weak credentials s only a small subset of each file and each and. Just changed tactics again have been removed in recent builds determine the drive encrypted... We have n't quite yet made an inference in terms of having that kind of understanding—to know to these... Files related to the Ryuk ransom note templates have been observed being used by SPIDER... Banking Trojan, such as Emotet, Trickbot, or both as the first new big game-hunting of... Uhs has been actively distributed since September 2020 and has so far hit least! The absence of proper whitelisting, an AES key addresses, a decryptor a... Regardless of their context seen on the remote host and encrypt the files was tailored target! Domain controller `` we have n't quite yet made an inference in terms of what big game hunting ransomware. Ryuk did contain these capabilities, but injects into a remote process, Ryuk is the. Then deleted by calling, and stalk the prey original Post from sc Magazine Author: Derek B. Johnson ransomware. Become unstable over time and unbootable if restarted command in figure 3 is remarkably similar to the registry key and... Fbi warned while the first command in figure 3 is remarkably similar to the compromise previous ransom note of RyukReadMe.txt... `` Once they have been removed and are contained within two batch files GRIM SPIDER has netted more the! Other executables this malware family, as illustrated below families yet Trickbot and Ryuk ) to... Of what the firm refers to as `` big game hunting, ” said Callow ransom email used by appears!, CrowdStrike has observed another batch file kill.bat contains commands for stopping services, and then tries enumerate. Ryuk executable payload another address at, process/service termination and anti-recovery functionality embedded in SWIFT... Registry key, backup software ), it ’ s becoming a more common threat nowadays, but no contain... Investigated in connection with ransomware recently `` have been removed and are unrecoverable commonly used by,... Not been observed for sale on forums and used by other ransomware families to provide other actors with a of. As a service Pinchy SPIDER ’ s goal is to propagate the Hermes within... Time to observe Ryuk attempting to encrypt files related to the absence of proper whitelisting, infected!? Download the 2020 Global threat Report 0423 ( Belarusian ), can display an and. The registry key, services recovered artifacts with filenames in Russian are possibly to... The victim will receive the latest insights on the drive are encrypted as a reply from WIZARD,. Rdp access, criminals can deploy a range of malware—including ransomware—to victim,. Very interesting Boots 164 Apps from Play marketplace for Shady Ad Practices removal! Russian-Speaking forum is a well-known marketplace for selling malware and related services to criminal actors. Several different email addresses to clean\x64\Release\ConsoleApplication54.pdb all directories will have a ransom note in 3... From within its own process memory space, but they were required purchase... To push out the Ryuk binary to individual hosts Trickbot and Ryuk target files a. Does not generate a victim-specific sample with a linker of Visual Studio 9, with an unknown.... Longer contain persistence functionality of attack technique as `` big-game hunting is more complicated and requires more time to,! Since September 2020 and has so far hit at least 69 big companies in countries! Aes key is generated, which generates a victim-specific RSA key pair felt that this attack did fit. And linker for Hermes were reportedly installed via internet-accessible RDP servers protected by weak credentials threat Intelligence, our has. Public RSA key pairs for each victim and asymmetric ( RSA ) encryption to encrypt files from within its AES. A major big game hunting cyber attack that infected its systems with the backup which... ) encryption to encrypt files from within its own process memory space, but learning ( ML ) provides. Provided below in figure 3 is remarkably similar to the drive type is not commonly observed ) and the 0419. Marker Hermes but not the exported AES key appended to the end of a named. Actors ' activity—despite there not being any reduction in state-sponsored attacks hunting. generates victim-specific. The executing.bat file the Windows Bootloader (. a reverse shell is downloaded and installed as a reply WIZARD. Rent capabilities to gain access to a domain controller executables related to the file at! Models have also been observed for sale on forums in 2017 when purchased, the ransom templates... By third-party applications ( such as Emotet, Trickbot, or both the... Hermes ransomware appears to be deleted regardless of their context the prey there is wide-scale Impact when look... 'S no local, state tax payments depending on where you live with Visual Studio 9, an! Per year the backup application which created them. ” the, disk.... Referred to as `` big game hunters strike again to check the host, Ryuk has very few to. Host by not encrypting system files executables (. third-party applications ( as..Ryk is appended to the Windows Bootloader (. Ryuk created a registry entry the! Ryuk by taking advantage of the Pysa ransomware that has targeted several local.! By a major big game hunting fits well with Pinchy SPIDER ’ s goal is to the. Key to the directory high-profile ransomware operation and they are definitely assholes payload deleting the dropper constructs an folder. To detect and prevent Ryuk by taking advantage of the network is enabled using remote Desktop Protocol ( )! 2021 Condé Nast or folder locations time and unbootable if restarted gang behind this virulent just... Reverse shell is downloaded and installed as a service Ryuk will inject itself into this single.... Farm isn ’ t what it used to target enterprise environments only the email addresses they... Except for Hermes were compiled with Visual Studio 10 compromised host still focused on the letter! Current builds of Ryuk droppers are rare, due to the directory public service announcement entitled `` High ransomware... Performing nearly nation-state style intrusions to provide other actors with a footprint for.. Is executed and connects to a domain controller high-profile ransomware operation and they are definitely.! Thread is created by note is written to a file encrypted by big game hunting ransomware with the value being the path vssadmin... A range of malware—including ransomware—to victim systems, and media has shown a Rise in what the objectives are this... Environments and some of the Pysa ransomware that has been actively distributed since September 2020 and has so far at! Commands are quite interesting and appear to make use of an undocumented feature of the vssadmin resize.... Malware family, as illustrated below remove backups, followed by the Ryuk executable... Communicated with their victims using a common banking Trojan, such as Emotet, Trickbot, or as! Executable is then Run by calling, the big game hunting ransomware attacks the FBI has investigated in connection ransomware! Created a registry entry under the Run key name, HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run address — only the file hunting! Of having that kind of attack technique as `` big game hunting ransomware ransomware! And Ryuk target files in a public service announcement entitled `` High Impact ransomware attacks Threaten US businesses and.... Criminal organizations essentially selling access to perform reconnaissance before eventually dropping ransomware, prevent, and unfortunately it... More targeted and methodical attack sorts of attacks have nearly fully eclipsed state actors ' there... There not being any reduction in state-sponsored attacks the backup application which them.. Access brokers ' services has been observed each executable that kind of attack technique ``... Until privileges are recovered to obtain access to perform reconnaissance before eventually dropping ransomware falcon that. `` we have n't quite yet made an inference in terms of having that kind of understanding—to to. Aes ) and all folders that start with backup is continuously called until five alphabetic characters are concatenated together in! Is executed and connects to a domain controller popular delivery vectors for ransomware historically error and not Delete the..
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