Analysis by: Patrick Noel Collado
ALIASES:

Ransom:Win32/Revil.A (Microsoft), Trojan-Ransom.Win32.Sodin.vho (Kaspersky)

 PLATFORM:

Windows

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

  • Threat Type: Ransomware

  • Destructiveness: No

  • Encrypted:

  • In the wild: Yes

  OVERVIEW

Infection Channel: Dropped by other malware, Downloaded from the Internet

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 avoids encrypting files with the following file extensions.

  TECHNICAL DETAILS

File Size: 120,832 bytes
File Type: EXE
Memory Resident: Yes
Initial Samples Received Date: 20 Apr 2021
Payload: Displays message/message boxes, Collects system information, Terminates processes, Encrypts files

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.

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).)

Autostart Technique

This Ransomware adds the following registry entries to enable its automatic execution at every system startup:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\
Windows\CurrentVersion\Run
1E8NAmhfRO = {Malware Path}\{Malware Name}.exe

Other System Modifications

This Ransomware adds the following registry entries:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\BlackLivesMatter
tjr = {Hex Values}

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\BlackLivesMatter
evai = {Hex Values}

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\BlackLivesMatter
52zS0 = {Hex Values}

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\BlackLivesMatter
180rlN = {Hex Values}

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\BlackLivesMatter
zOqjWEPg = {Hex Values}

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\BlackLivesMatter
b2YcY60 = .{Appended Extension}

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
  • Operating System name
  • System Architecture
  • Username
  • Workgroup

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-Armenia
    • Azerbaijani (Cyrillic)-Azerbaijan
    • Azerbaijani (Latin)-Azerbaijan
    • Belarusian
    • Georgian-Georgia
    • Kazakh-Kazakhstan
    • Kyrgyz-Kyrgyzstan
    • Romanian-Moldova
    • Russian
    • Russian-Moldova
    • Syriac - Syria
    • Tajikistan - Tajik (Cyrillic)
    • Tatar-Russia
    • Turkmen-Turkmenistan
    • Ukrainian
    • Uzbek (Cyrillic) - Uzbekistan
    • Uzbek (Latin)-Uzbekistan
  • 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 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

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  
  • application data  
  • boot  
  • google  
  • intel  
  • mozilla  
  • msocache  
  • program files  
  • system volume information  
  • tor browser  

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

  • .{random characters}

It leaves text files that serve as ransom notes containing the following text:

  • {encrypted directory}\{appended extension}-readme.txt

It avoids encrypting files with the following file extensions:

  • 386  
  • adv  
  • ani  
  • bat  
  • 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: 16.686.05
FIRST VSAPI PATTERN DATE: 29 Apr 2021
VSAPI OPR PATTERN File: 16.687.00
VSAPI OPR PATTERN Date: 30 Apr 2021

Step 1

Trend Micro Predictive Machine Learning detects and blocks malware at the first sign of its existence, before it executes on your system. When enabled, your Trend Micro product detects this malware under the following machine learning name:

     Troj.Win32.TRX.XXPE50FFF043

Step 2

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 3

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 4

Identify and terminate files detected as Ransom.Win32.SODINOKIBI.AUWUJDFE

[ Learn More ]
  1. Windows Task Manager may not display all running processes. In this case, please use a third-party process viewer, preferably Process Explorer, to terminate the malware/grayware/spyware file. You may download the said tool here.
  2. If the detected file is displayed in either Windows Task Manager or Process Explorer but you cannot delete it, restart your computer in safe mode. To do this, refer to this link for the complete steps.
  3. If the detected file is not displayed in either Windows Task Manager or Process Explorer, continue doing the next steps.

Step 5

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.

  • In HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run
    • 1E8NAmhfRO = {Malware Path}\{Malware Name}.exe
  • In HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\BlackLivesMatter
    • tjr = {Hex Values}
  • In HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\BlackLivesMatter
    • evai = {Hex Values}
  • In HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\BlackLivesMatter
    • 52zS0 = {Hex Values}
  • In HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\BlackLivesMatter
    • 180rlN = {Hex Values}
  • In HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\BlackLivesMatter
    • zOqjWEPg = {Hex Values}
  • In HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\BlackLivesMatter
    • b2YcY60 = .{Appended Extension}

Step 6

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.

  • In HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\BlackLivesMatter

Step 7

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. {encrypted directory}\{appended extension}-readme.txt
%User Temp%\{Random characters}.bmp 

Step 8

Reset your Desktop properties

[ Learn More ]

Step 9

Scan your computer with your Trend Micro product to delete files detected as Ransom.Win32.SODINOKIBI.AUWUJDFE. 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 the following Trend Micro Support pages for more information:

Step 10

Restore encrypted files from backup.


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