Ransom.MSIL.SCARAB.AA

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 executes then deletes itself afterward.

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

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 copies of itself into the affected system and executes them:

• %Application Data%\svcsv.exe

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

It adds the following processes:

• To delete backup:
  • wbadmin DELETE SYSTEMSTATEBACKUP -keepVersions:0
  • wmic SHADOWCOPY DELETE
  • vssadmin Delete Shadows /All /Quiet
  • bcdedit /set {default} recoveryenabled No
  • bcdedit /set {default} bootstatuspolicy ignoreallfailures
• %Application Data%\svcsv.exe
• cmd.exe /c start /max notepad.exe "%User Profile%\HOW TO RECOVER ENCRYPTED FILES.TXT"

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

It executes then deletes itself afterward.

Autostart Technique

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

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\
Windows\CurrentVersion\RunOnce
dFfuJscMNnIKrW = %Application Data%\svcsv.exe

Other System Modifications

This Ransomware adds the following registry entries:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\dFfuJscMNnIKrW
idle = 1

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\
Notepad
iPointSize = 120

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\
Notepad
lfCharSet = 204

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\
Notepad
lfWeight = 400

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\
Notepad
lfItalic = 0

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\
Notepad
lfUnderline = 0

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\
Notepad
lfOrientation = 0

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\
Notepad
lfStrikeOut = 0

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\
Notepad
lfFaceName = Fixedsys

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\OVJIT
UUZRX = "o=new ActiveXObject("WScript.Shell");o.Run("cmd.exe /c wbadmin DELETE SYSTEMSTATEBACKUP -keepVersions:0",0);o.Run("cmd.exe /c wmic SHADOWCOPY DELETE",0);o.Run("cmd.exe /c vssadmin Delete Shadows /All /Quiet",0);o.Run("cmd.exe /c bcdedit /set {default} recoveryenabled No",0);o.Run("cmd.exe /c bcdedit /set {default} bootstatuspolicy ignoreallfailures",0);""

Process Termination

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

• taskmgr.exe
• ccleaner.exe
• ccleaner64.exe
• regedit.exe
• anvir.exe
• anvir64.exe
• cscript.exe
• wscript.exe
• powershell.exe
• procexp.exe
• far.exe
• agntsvc.exe
• agntsvc.exeagntsvc.exe
• agntsvc.exeencsvc.exe
• agntsvc.exeisqlplussvc.exe
• dbeng50.exe
• dbsnmp.exe
• excel.exe
• firefoxconfig.exe
• infopath.exe
• isqlplussvc.exe
• msaccess.exe
• msftesql.exe
• mspub.exe
• mydesktopqos.exe
• mydesktopservice.exe
• mysqld.exe
• mysqld-nt.exe
• mysqld-opt.exe
• ncsvc.exe
• ocautoupds.exe
• ocomm.exe
• ocssd.exe
• onenote.exe
• oracle.exe
• outlook.exe
• powerpnt.exe
• sqbcoreservice.exe
• sqlagent.exe
• sqlbrowser.exe
• sqlserver.exe
• sqlservr.exe
• sqlwriter.exe
• steam.exe
• synctime.exe
• tbirdconfig.exe
• thebat.exe
• thebat64.exe
• thunderbird.exe
• visio.exe
• winword.exe
• wordpad.exe
• xfssvccon.exe

Other Details

This Ransomware adds the following registry keys:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\dFfuJscMNnIKrW

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\OVJIT

It does the following:

• It encrypts all local and network drives
• Terminates itself if system's Country Locale is from one of the following countries:
  • Russia
  • Belarus
  • Ukraine
• If condition {a} is not true:
  • It drops the following files:
    • %User Temp%\$TMP$001.exe → detected as Ransom_Blocker.R002C0DF519
    • %Application Data%\winupas.exe → detected as Ransom_Blocker.R002C0DF519
  • It adds the following processes:
    • "%Application Data%\Roaming\winupas.exe" x
  • It adds the following registry entries:
    • HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run
      • Windows Update Assistant = "%Application Data%\winupas.exe" x
  • Where {a}:
    • If the machine is running in the following VM:
      • Anubis VM
      • VBox
      • Virtual PC
      • VirtualBox
      • VMWare
    • If the following analysis tools are found running:
      • vboxservice.exe
      • vmtoolssd.exe
      • wireshark.exe
      • ollydbg.exe
    • If the folder "%System Root%\insidetm" exists
    • If "%System Root%\sample.exe" exists
• It renames filenames of encrypted files.

(Note: %System Root% is the Windows root folder, where it usually is C:\ on all Windows operating system versions.)

Ransomware Routine

This Ransomware avoids encrypting files found in the following folders:

• $RECYCLE.BIN
• All Users
• AppData
• Application Data
• intel
• nvidia
• System Volume Information
• Trend Micro
• Windows

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

• {encrypted file name}.zxcvbn

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

• %User Profile%\HOW TO RECOVER ENCRYPTED FILES.TXT
• %Desktop%\HOW TO RECOVER ENCRYPTED FILES.TXT
• {Encrypted Directory}\HOW TO RECOVER ENCRYPTED FILES.TXT
  

It avoids encrypting files with the following file extensions:

• .adame
• .bomber
• .zxcvbn