RANSOM_KRAKEN.THHBBAH

 Analysis by: Michael Jhon Ofiaza

 ALIASES:

HEUR:Trojan-Ransom.Win32.Agent.gen (Kaspersky) ;

 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

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 encrypts files with specific file extensions. It drops files as ransom note.

  TECHNICAL DETAILS

File Size:

180,704 bytes

File Type:

EXE

Memory Resident:

No

Initial Samples Received Date:

15 Aug 2018

Payload:

Connects to URLs/IPs, Displays message/message boxes, 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 Hex}.{Random 3 Hex}.bat -> deletes the malware copy and the .bat
  • %ProgramData%\Release.bat
  • %ProgramData%\sdel.exe

(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, XP, and Server 2003, or C:\Users\{user name}\AppData\Local\Temp on Windows Vista, 7, and 8.. %ProgramData% is a version of the Program Files folder where any user on a multi-user computer can make changes to programs. This contains application data for all users. This is usually C:\ProgramData in Windows Vista, 7, and 8.)

It adds the following processes:

  • cmd.exe", "/C sc config eventlog start=disabled
  • cmd.exe", "/C REG add \"HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\services\eventlog\" / v Start / t REG_DWORD / d 4 / f
  • tasklist" /V /FO CSV

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

  • Kraken

It terminates itself if it finds the following processes in the affected system's memory:

  • Sysinternals: www.sysinternals.com
  • wireshark
  • EtherD
  • EtherDetect
  • The Wireshark Network Analyzer
  • dumpcap
  • sysAnalyzer
  • TCPView
  • C:\Program Files\Wireshark\
  • NETSTAT
  • sniff_hit

Other System Modifications

This Ransomware adds the following registry entries:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Console
WordLoad = 1

Process Termination

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

  • agntsvcagntsvc
  • agntsvcencsvc
  • agntsvcisqlplussvc
  • dbeng50
  • dbsnmp
  • firefoxconfig
  • msftesql
  • mydesktopqos
  • mydesktopservice
  • mysqld
  • mysqld-nt
  • mysqld-opt
  • ocomm
  • ocssd
  • oracle
  • sqbcoreservice
  • sqlagent
  • sqlbrowser
  • sqlservr
  • sqlwriter
  • sqlwb
  • synctime
  • tbirdconfig
  • xfssvccon
  • notepad

Other Details

This Ransomware connects to the following URL(s) to get the affected system's IP address:

  • https://ipinfo.io/json

It does the following:

  • Will not proceed if the keyboard layout contains one of the following value:
    • 1058 = Ukrainian
    • 1059 = Belarusian
    • 1061 = Estonian
    • 1062 = Latvian
    • 1063 = Lithuanian
    • 1064 = Tajik
    • 1065 = Persian
    • 1067 = Armenian
    • 1068 = Azeri (Latin)
    • 1079 = Georgian
    • 1087 = Kazakh
    • 1088 = Kyrgyz (Cyrillic)
    • 1090 = Turkmen
    • 1091 = Uzbek (Latin)
    • 1092 = Tatar
  • Will not encrypt if the user's IP is from the following country:
    • am = Armenia
    • az = Azerbaijan
    • by = Belarus
    • ee = Estonia
    • ge = Georgia
    • ir = Iran
    • kg = Kyrgyzstan
    • kz = Kazakhstan
    • lt = Lithuania
    • lv = Latvia
    • md = Moldova
    • ru = Russia
    • tj = Tajikistan
    • tm = Turkmenistan
    • ua = Ukraine
    • uz = Uzbekistan
  • executes the following if appcheck.exe is running:
    • cmd.exe", "/C reg add \"HKLM\\SOFTWARE\\CheckMAL\\AppCheck\" /v ProductVersion /t REG_SZ /d \"Please contact with \"Kraken Cryptor\" support for decrypt your files.\" /f
    • cmd.exe", "/C reg add \"HKLM\\SOFTWARE\\CheckMAL\\AppCheck\" /v RansomBackupExt/t REG_SZ /d \"NULL\" /f
    • cmd.exe", "/C reg add \"HKLM\\SOFTWARE\\CheckMAL\\AppCheck\" /v RansomBackupExt/t REG_SZ /d \"NULL\" /f
    • cmd.exe", "/C taskkill /F /IM appcheck.exe
  • Encrypts the Fix and Removable Drives and Network Drives
  • Deletes shadowcopy

Ransomware Routine

This Ransomware encrypts files with the following extensions:

  • .1cd
  • .3dm
  • .3ds
  • .3fr
  • .3g2
  • .3gp
  • .3pr
  • .7z
  • .7zip
  • .aac
  • .ab4
  • .abd
  • .accdb
  • .accde
  • .accdr
  • .accdt
  • .ach
  • .acr
  • .act
  • .adb
  • .adp
  • .ads
  • .agdl
  • .ai
  • .aiff
  • .ait
  • .al
  • .aoi
  • .apj
  • .arw
  • .ascx
  • .asf
  • .asm
  • .asp
  • .aspx
  • .asx
  • .atb
  • .avi
  • .awg
  • .back
  • .backup
  • .backupdb
  • .bak
  • .bank
  • .bay
  • .bdb
  • .bgt
  • .bik
  • .bin
  • .bkp
  • .blend
  • .bmp
  • .bpw
  • .c
  • .cdb
  • .cdf
  • .cdr
  • .cdr3
  • .cdr4
  • .cdr5
  • .cdr6
  • .cdrw
  • .cdx
  • .ce1
  • .ce2
  • .cer
  • .cfg
  • .cfn
  • .cgm
  • .cib
  • .class
  • .cls
  • .cmt
  • .config
  • .contact
  • .cpi
  • .cpp
  • .cr2
  • .craw
  • .crt
  • .crw
  • .cs
  • .csh
  • .csl
  • .css
  • .csv
  • .dac
  • .dat
  • .db
  • .db3
  • .dbf
  • .dbx
  • .db_journal
  • .dc2
  • .dcr
  • .dcs
  • .ddd
  • .ddoc
  • .ddrw
  • .dds
  • .def
  • .der
  • .des
  • .design
  • .dgc
  • .dit
  • .djvu
  • .dng
  • .doc
  • .docm
  • .docx
  • .dot
  • .dotm
  • .dotx
  • .drf
  • .drw
  • .dtd
  • .dwg
  • .dxb
  • .dxf
  • .dxg
  • .edb
  • .eml
  • .eps
  • .erbsql
  • .erf
  • .exf
  • .fdb
  • .ffd
  • .fff
  • .fh
  • .fhd
  • .fla
  • .flac
  • .flb
  • .flf
  • .flv
  • .flvv
  • .fpx
  • .fxg
  • .gif
  • .gray
  • .grey
  • .groups
  • .gry
  • .h
  • .hbk
  • .hdd
  • .hpp
  • .html
  • .ibank
  • .ibd
  • .ibz
  • .idx
  • .iif
  • .iiq
  • .incpas
  • .indd
  • .info
  • .info_
  • .ini
  • .jar
  • .java
  • .jnt
  • .jpe
  • .jpeg
  • .jpg
  • .js
  • .json
  • .kc2
  • .kdbx
  • .kdc
  • .key
  • .kpdx
  • .kwm
  • .laccdb
  • .lck
  • .ldf
  • .lit
  • .lock
  • .log
  • .lua
  • .m
  • .m2ts
  • .m3u
  • .m4p
  • .m4v
  • .mab
  • .mapimail
  • .max
  • .mbx
  • .md
  • .mdb
  • .mdc
  • .mdf
  • .mef
  • .mfw
  • .mid
  • .mkv
  • .mlb
  • .mmw
  • .mny
  • .moneywell
  • .mos
  • .mov
  • .mp3
  • .mp4
  • .mpeg
  • .mpg
  • .mrw
  • .msf
  • .msg
  • .myd
  • .nd
  • .ndd
  • .ndf
  • .nef
  • .nk2
  • .nop
  • .nrw
  • .ns2
  • .ns3
  • .ns4
  • .nsd
  • .nsf
  • .nsg
  • .nsh
  • .nvram
  • .nwb
  • .nx2
  • .nxl
  • .nyf
  • .oab
  • .obj
  • .odb
  • .odc
  • .odf
  • .odg
  • .odm
  • .odp
  • .ods
  • .odt
  • .ogg
  • .oil
  • .omg
  • .orf
  • .ost
  • .otg
  • .oth
  • .otp
  • .ots
  • .ott
  • .p7b
  • .p7c
  • .p12
  • .pab
  • .pages
  • .pas
  • .pat
  • .pbf
  • .pcd
  • .pct
  • .pdb
  • .pdd
  • .pdf
  • .pef
  • .pem
  • .pfx
  • .php
  • .pif
  • .pl
  • .plc
  • .plus_muhd
  • .pm!
  • .pm
  • .pmi
  • .pmj
  • .pml
  • .pmm
  • .pmo
  • .pmr
  • .pnc
  • .pnd
  • .png
  • .pnx
  • .pot
  • .potm
  • .potx
  • .ppam
  • .pps
  • .ppsm
  • .ppsm
  • .ppsx
  • .ppt
  • .pptm
  • .pptm
  • .pptx
  • .prf
  • .ps
  • .psafe3
  • .psd
  • .pspimage
  • .pst
  • .ptx
  • .pwm
  • .py
  • .qba
  • .qbb
  • .qbm
  • .qbr
  • .qbw
  • .qbx
  • .qby
  • .qcow
  • .qcow2
  • .qed
  • .qtb
  • .r3d
  • .raf
  • .rar
  • .rat
  • .raw
  • .rdb
  • .rm
  • .rtf
  • .rvt
  • .rw2
  • .rwl
  • .rwz
  • .s3db
  • .safe
  • .sas7bdat
  • .sav
  • .save
  • .say
  • .sd0
  • .sda
  • .sdb
  • .sdf
  • .sh
  • .sldm
  • .sldx
  • .sql
  • .sqlite
  • .sqlite-shm
  • .sqlite-wal
  • .sqlite3
  • .sqlitedb
  • .sr2
  • .srb
  • .srf
  • .srs
  • .srt
  • .srw
  • .st4
  • .st5
  • .st6
  • .st7
  • .st8
  • .stc
  • .std
  • .sti
  • .stm
  • .stw
  • .stx
  • .svg
  • .swf
  • .sxc
  • .sxd
  • .sxg
  • .sxi
  • .sxm
  • .sxw
  • .tbb
  • .tbn
  • .tex
  • .tga
  • .thm
  • .tlg
  • .tlx
  • .txt
  • .usr
  • .vbox
  • .vdi
  • .vhd
  • .vhdx
  • .vmdk
  • .vmsd
  • .vmx
  • .vmxf
  • .vob
  • .wab
  • .wad
  • .wallet
  • .war
  • .wav
  • .wb2
  • .wma
  • .wmf
  • .wmv
  • .wpd
  • .wps
  • .x3f
  • .x11
  • .xis
  • .xla
  • .xlam
  • .xlk
  • .xlm
  • .xlr
  • .xls
  • .xlsb
  • .xlsm
  • .xlsx
  • .xlt
  • .xltm
  • .xltx
  • .xlw
  • .xml
  • .ycbcra
  • .yuv
  • .zip

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

  • bootsect.bak
  • desktop.ini
  • iconcache.db
  • ntuser.dat
  • thumbs.db

It avoids encrypting files found in the following folders:

  • $recycle.bin
  • system volume information
  • $windows.~bt
  • boot
  • drivers
  • program files
  • program files (x86)
  • programdata
  • all users
  • windows
  • windows.old
  • appdata
  • programdata
  • sample videos
  • sample pictures
  • sample music
  • my videos
  • my pictures
  • my music
  • test folder

It renames encrypted files using the following names:

  • {Encrypted File Number}-Lock.onion

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

  • {Encrypted Folder}\# How to Decrypt Files.txt

  SOLUTION

Minimum Scan Engine:

9.850

FIRST VSAPI PATTERN FILE:

14.458.06

FIRST VSAPI PATTERN DATE:

22 Aug 2018

VSAPI OPR PATTERN File:

14.459.00

VSAPI OPR PATTERN Date:

23 Aug 2018

Step 1

Before doing any scans, Windows XP, Windows Vista, and Windows 7 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

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_CURRENT_USER\Console
    • WordLoad = 1

Step 4

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 Hex}.{Random 3 Hex}.bat
  • %ProgramData%\Release.bat
  • %ProgramData%\sdel.exe
  • {Encrypted Folder}\# How to Decrypt Files.txt

Step 5

Scan your computer with your Trend Micro product to delete files detected as RANSOM_KRAKEN.THHBBAH. 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 6

Restore encrypted files from backup.


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