Ransom.Win32.SODINOKIBI.YABGC

 Analysis by: Mc Justine De Guzman

 ALIASES:

N/A

 PLATFORM:

Windows

 OVERALL RISK RATING:
 DAMAGE POTENTIAL:
 DISTRIBUTION POTENTIAL:
 REPORTED INFECTION:
 INFORMATION EXPOSURE:

  • Threat Type: Ransomware

  • Destructiveness: No

  • Encrypted: Yes

  • In the wild: Yes

  OVERVIEW

Infection Channel:

Downloaded from the Internet, Dropped by other malware


This Ransomware arrives on a system as a file dropped by other malware or as a file downloaded unknowingly by users when visiting malicious sites. It may be dropped by other malware.

It drops files as ransom note. It avoids encrypting files with the following file extensions.

  TECHNICAL DETAILS

File Size:

807,816 bytes

File Type:

DLL

Memory Resident:

Yes

Initial Samples Received Date:

03 Jul 2021

Payload:

Drops files, Encrypts files, Collects system information, Displays message/message boxes, Terminates processes

Arrival Details

This Ransomware arrives on a system as a file dropped by other malware or as a file downloaded unknowingly by users when visiting malicious sites.

It may be dropped by the following malware:

Installation

This Ransomware drops the following files:

  • %User Temp%\{Random Characters}.bmp → used as wallpaper

(Note: %User Temp% is the current user's Temp folder, which is usually C:\Documents and Settings\{user name}\Local Settings\Temp on Windows 2000(32-bit), XP, and Server 2003(32-bit), or C:\Users\{user name}\AppData\Local\Temp on Windows Vista, 7, 8, 8.1, 2008(64-bit), 2012(64-bit) and 10(64-bit).)

It adds the following processes:

  • bcdedit /set {current} safeboot network → if -smode parameter is used (Restart the machine to Safe Mode with networking)

It adds the following mutexes to ensure that only one of its copies runs at any one time:

  • Global\{GUID}

Other System Modifications

This Ransomware adds the following registry entries:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\BlackLivesMatter
Ed7 = {Hex Values}

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\BlackLivesMatter
QIeQ = {Hex Values}

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\BlackLivesMatter
96Ia6 = {Hex Values}

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\BlackLivesMatter
Ucr1RB = {Hex Values}

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\BlackLivesMatter
wJWsTYE = {Appended Extension}

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\BlackLivesMatter
JmfOBvhb = {Hex Values}

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\
Windows\CurrentVersion\RunOnce
*AstraZeneca = %Windows%\MsMpEng.exe (or %User Temp%\MsMpEng.exe, depending on what was successfully ran) → if -smode parameter is used

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\
Windows\CurrentVersion\RunOnce
*MarineLePen = bcdedit /deletevalue {current} safeboot → if -smode parameter is used (Removes the machine from safe mode)

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\
Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon
AutoAdminLogon = 1 → if -smode parameter is used

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\
Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon
DefaultUserName = {current user's username} → if -smode parameter is used

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\
Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon
DefaultPassword = DTrump4ever → if -smode parameter is used

It changes the desktop wallpaper by modifying the following registry entries:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\Desktop
Wallpaper = %User Temp%\{Random Characters}.bmp

It sets the system's desktop wallpaper to the following image:

Process Termination

This Ransomware terminates the following services if found on the affected system:

  • backup
  • memtas
  • mepocs
  • sophos
  • sql
  • svc$
  • veeam
  • vss

It terminates the following processes if found running in the affected system's memory:

  • agntsvc
  • dbeng50
  • dbsnmp
  • encsvc
  • excel
  • firefox
  • infopath
  • isqlplussvc
  • msaccess
  • mspub
  • mydesktopqos
  • mydesktopservice
  • ocautoupds
  • ocomm
  • ocssd
  • onenote
  • oracle
  • outlook
  • powerpnt
  • sqbcoreservice
  • sql
  • steam
  • synctime
  • tbirdconfig
  • thebat
  • thunderbird
  • visio
  • winword
  • wordpad
  • xfssvccon

Information Theft

This Ransomware gathers the following data:

  • Computer name
  • User name
  • Workgroup
  • Processor
  • Operating System
  • System Architecture

Other Details

This Ransomware adds the following registry keys:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\BlackLivesMatter

It does the following:

  • It will terminate itself if the affected system's keyboard layout is any of the following:
    • Arabic - Syria
    • Armenian Eastern
    • Azeri Cyrillic
    • Azeri Latin
    • Belarusian
    • Georgian
    • Kazakh
    • Kyrgyz Cyrillic
    • Romanian-Moldova
    • Russian
    • Russian-Moldova
    • Syriac
    • Tajik
    • Tatar
    • Turkmen
    • Ukranian
    • Uzbek Cyrillic
    • Uzbek Latin
  • It wipes the contents of the following folder:
    • backup
  • It searches for files to encrypt in remote drives, fixed drives, removable drives, and network resources.
  • It does the following if -smode parameter is used:
    • It changes the current user's password to DTrump4ever
    • It enables automatic logon
    • It changes the default username to the current user's username
    • It changes the default password to DTrump4ever
  • It shows the following error message if 2 or more instances of itself is running:

It accepts the following parameters:

  • -silent → skips the following:
    • Termination of blacklisted processes and services
    • Removal of shadow copies
  • -path → specifies directory to be encrypted
  • -nolocal → avoids encrypting fixed and removable drives
  • -nolan → avoids encrypting network and shared drives
  • -fast → fast encryption mode
  • -smode → executes ransomware routine on safe mode

Ransomware Routine

This Ransomware avoids encrypting files with the following strings in their file name:

  • autorun.inf
  • boot.ini
  • bootfont.bin
  • bootsect.bak
  • desktop.ini
  • iconcache.db
  • ntldr
  • ntuser.dat
  • ntuser.dat.log
  • ntuser.ini
  • thumbs.db

It avoids encrypting files found in the following folders:

  • $recycle.bin
  • $windows.~bt
  • $windows.~ws
  • appdata
  • application data
  • boot
  • google
  • intel
  • mozilla
  • msocache
  • perflogs
  • program files
  • program files (x86)
  • programdata
  • system volume information
  • tor browser
  • windows
  • windows.old

It appends the following extension to the file name of the encrypted files:

  • .{Random Characters}

It drops the following file(s) as ransom note:

  • {Encrypted Directory}\{Appended Extension}-readme.txt

It avoids encrypting files with the following file extensions:

  • 386
  • adv
  • ani
  • bat
  • bin
  • cab
  • cmd
  • com
  • cpl
  • cur
  • deskthemepack
  • diagcab
  • diagcfg
  • diagpkg
  • dll
  • drv
  • exe
  • hlp
  • hta
  • icl
  • icns
  • ico
  • ics
  • idx
  • key
  • ldf
  • lnk
  • lock
  • mod
  • mpa
  • msc
  • msi
  • msp
  • msstyles
  • msu
  • nls
  • nomedia
  • ocx
  • prf
  • ps1
  • rom
  • rtp
  • scr
  • shs
  • spl
  • sys
  • theme
  • themepack
  • wpx

  SOLUTION

Minimum Scan Engine:

9.800

FIRST VSAPI PATTERN FILE:

16.818.04

FIRST VSAPI PATTERN DATE:

03 Jul 2021

VSAPI OPR PATTERN File:

16.819.00

VSAPI OPR PATTERN Date:

04 Jul 2021

Step 1

Before doing any scans, Windows 7, Windows 8, Windows 8.1, and Windows 10 users must disable System Restore to allow full scanning of their computers.

Step 2

Note that not all files, folders, and registry keys and entries are installed on your computer during this malware's/spyware's/grayware's execution. This may be due to incomplete installation or other operating system conditions. If you do not find the same files/folders/registry information, please proceed to the next step.

Step 3

Restart in Safe Mode

[ Learn More ]

Step 4

Delete this registry value

[ Learn More ]

Important: Editing the Windows Registry incorrectly can lead to irreversible system malfunction. Please do this step only if you know how or you can ask assistance from your system administrator. Else, check this Microsoft article first before modifying your computer's registry.

  • HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\BlackLivesMatter
  • Ed7 = {Hex Values}
  • HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\BlackLivesMatter
  • QIeQ = {Hex Values}
  • HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\BlackLivesMatter
  • 96Ia6 = {Hex Values}
  • HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\BlackLivesMatter
  • Ucr1RB = {Hex Values}
  • HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\BlackLivesMatter
  • wJWsTYE = {Appended Extension}
  • HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\BlackLivesMatter
  • JmfOBvhb = {Hex Values}
  • HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\
  • Windows\CurrentVersion\RunOnce
  • *AstraZeneca = %Windows%\MsMpEng.exe (or %User Temp%\MsMpEng.exe)
  • HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\RunOnce
  • *MarineLePen = bcdedit /deletevalue {current} safeboot
  • HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon
  • AutoAdminLogon = 1 → if -smode parameter is used
  • HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon
  • DefaultUserName = {current user's username}
  • HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon
  • DefaultPassword = DTrump4ever → if -smode parameter is used

Step 5

Delete this registry key

[ Learn More ]

Important: Editing the Windows Registry incorrectly can lead to irreversible system malfunction. Please do this step only if you know how or you can ask assistance from your system administrator. Else, check this Microsoft article first before modifying your computer's registry.

  • HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\BlackLivesMatter

Step 6

Search and delete this file

[ Learn More ]
There may be some files that are hidden. Please make sure you check the Search Hidden Files and Folders checkbox in the "More advanced options" option to include all hidden files and folders in the search result.
  • %User Temp%\{Random Characters}.bmp
  • {Encrypted Directory}\{Appended Extension}-read.txt

Step 7

Reset your Desktop properties

[ Learn More ]

Step 8

Restart in normal mode and scan your computer with your Trend Micro product for files detected as Ransom.Win32.SODINOKIBI.YABGC. If the detected files have already been cleaned, deleted, or quarantined by your Trend Micro product, no further step is required. You may opt to simply delete the quarantined files. Please check this Knowledge Base page for more information.

Step 9

Restore encrypted files from backup.


Did this description help? Tell us how we did.