Analysis

  • max time kernel
    149s
  • max time network
    120s
  • platform
    windows7_x64
  • resource
    win7-20240221-en
  • resource tags

    arch:x64arch:x86image:win7-20240221-enlocale:en-usos:windows7-x64system
  • submitted
    14-04-2024 08:01

General

  • Target

    phobos.exe

  • Size

    71KB

  • MD5

    e59ffeaf7acb0c326e452fa30bb71a36

  • SHA1

    c88fad293256bfead6962124394de4f8b97765aa

  • SHA256

    a91491f45b851a07f91ba5a200967921bf796d38677786de51a4a8fe5ddeafd2

  • SHA512

    737937ac074b1754878f9548be0fae43a18b88ed669a5626468763577d254ef4cd833686d3b9ed5a3169eb8dd1593ca03a74f5ba4664ccc1446d9b85d2f316b3

  • SSDEEP

    1536:zkGB8nHbKUvryElSpi8jCZGcqDKlKnr8dV+99rmuoENA4Cj:zFBMHRvrAjCZmKcnr8YrfA4Cj

Malware Config

Extracted

Path

C:\info.hta

Ransom Note
<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC '-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.01//EN' 'http://www.w3.org/TR/html4/strict.dtd'> <html> <head> <meta charset='windows-1251'> <title>encrypted</title> <HTA:APPLICATION ICON='msiexec.exe' SINGLEINSTANCE='yes' SysMenu="no"> <script language='JScript'> window.moveTo(50, 50); window.resizeTo(screen.width - 100, screen.height - 100); </script> <style type='text/css'> body { font: 15px Tahoma, sans-serif; margin: 10px; line-height: 25px; background: #EDEDED; } img { display:inline-block; } .bold { font-weight: bold; } .mark { background: #D0D0E8; padding: 2px 5px; } .header { text-align: center; font-size: 30px; line-height: 50px; font-weight: bold; margin-bottom:20px; } .info { background: #D0D0E8; border-left: 10px solid #00008B; } .alert { background: #FFE4E4; border-left: 10px solid #FF0000; } .private { border: 1px dashed #000; background: #FFFFEF; } .note { height: auto; padding-bottom: 1px; margin: 15px 0; } .note .title { font-weight: bold; text-indent: 10px; height: 30px; line-height: 30px; padding-top: 10px; } .note .mark { background: #A2A2B5; } .note ul { margin-top: 0; } .note pre { margin-left: 15px; line-height: 13px; font-size: 13px; } .footer { position:fixed; bottom:0; right:0; text-align: right; } </style> </head> <body> <div class='header'> <img src='data:image/png;base64,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'> <div>All your files have been encrypted!</div> </div> <div class='bold'>All your files have been encrypted due to a security problem with your PC. If you want to restore them, write us to the e-mail <span class='mark'>lockhelp@qq.com</span></div> <div class='bold'>Write this ID in the title of your message <span class='mark'>A8E39828-1096</span></div> <div class='bold'>If there is no response from our mail, you can install the Jabber client and write to us in support of <span class='mark'>lockhelp@xmpp.jp</span> </div> <div> You have to pay for decryption in Bitcoins. The price depends on how fast you write to us. After payment we will send you the decryption tool that will decrypt all your files. </div> <div class='note info'> <div class='title'>Free decryption as guarantee</div> <ul>Before paying you can send us up to 5 files for free decryption. The total size of files must be less than 10Mb (non archived), and files should not contain valuable information. (databases,backups, large excel sheets, etc.) </ul> </div> <div class='note info'> <div class='title'>How to obtain Bitcoins</div> <ul> The easiest way to buy bitcoins is LocalBitcoins site. You have to register, click 'Buy bitcoins', and select the seller by payment method and price. <br><a href='https://localbitcoins.com/buy_bitcoins'>https://localbitcoins.com/buy_bitcoins</a> <br> Also you can find other places to buy Bitcoins and beginners guide here: <br><a href='http://www.coindesk.com/information/how-can-i-buy-bitcoins/'>http://www.coindesk.com/information/how-can-i-buy-bitcoins/</a> </ul> </div> <div class='title'>Jabber client installation instructions:</div> <div class='note info'> <ul> <li>Download the jabber (Pidgin) client from https://pidgin.im/download/windows/</li> <li>After installation, the Pidgin client will prompt you to create a new account.</li> <li>Click "Add"</li><li>In the "Protocol" field, select XMPP</li> <li>In "Username" - come up with any name</li> <li>In the field "domain" - enter any jabber-server, there are a lot of them, for example - exploit.im</li> <li>Create a password</li><li>At the bottom, put a tick "Create account"</li> <li>Click add</li> <li>If you selected "domain" - exploit.im, then a new window should appear in which you will need to re-enter your data:</li> <ul> <li>User</li> <li>password</li> <li>You will need to follow the link to the captcha (there you will see the characters that you need to enter in the field below)</li> </ul> <li>If you don't understand our Pidgin client installation instructions, you can find many installation tutorials on youtube - <a href = "https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=pidgin+jabber+install">https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=pidgin+jabber+install</a></li> </ul> </div> <div class='note alert'> <div class='title'>Attention!</div> <ul> <li>Do not rename encrypted files.</li> <li>Do not try to decrypt your data using third party software, it may cause permanent data loss.</li> <li>Decryption of your files with the help of third parties may cause increased price (they add their fee to our) or you can become a victim of a scam.</li> </ul> </div> </body> </html>
Emails

class='mark'>lockhelp@qq.com</span></div>

class='mark'>lockhelp@xmpp.jp</span>

URLs

http://www.w3.org/TR/html4/strict.dtd'>

https://pidgin.im/download/windows/</li>

Signatures

  • Phobos

    Phobos ransomware appeared at the beginning of 2019.

  • Deletes shadow copies 2 TTPs

    Ransomware often targets backup files to inhibit system recovery.

  • Modifies boot configuration data using bcdedit 1 TTPs 4 IoCs
  • Renames multiple (311) files with added filename extension

    This suggests ransomware activity of encrypting all the files on the system.

  • Modifies Windows Firewall 2 TTPs 2 IoCs
  • Drops startup file 3 IoCs
  • Reads user/profile data of web browsers 2 TTPs

    Infostealers often target stored browser data, which can include saved credentials etc.

  • Adds Run key to start application 2 TTPs 2 IoCs
  • Drops desktop.ini file(s) 64 IoCs
  • Drops file in Program Files directory 64 IoCs
  • Enumerates physical storage devices 1 TTPs

    Attempts to interact with connected storage/optical drive(s).

  • Interacts with shadow copies 2 TTPs 2 IoCs

    Shadow copies are often targeted by ransomware to inhibit system recovery.

  • Modifies Internet Explorer settings 1 TTPs 4 IoCs
  • Suspicious behavior: EnumeratesProcesses 64 IoCs
  • Suspicious use of AdjustPrivilegeToken 64 IoCs
  • Suspicious use of WriteProcessMemory 58 IoCs
  • Uses Volume Shadow Copy service COM API

    The Volume Shadow Copy service is used to manage backups/snapshots.

Processes

  • C:\Users\Admin\AppData\Local\Temp\phobos.exe
    "C:\Users\Admin\AppData\Local\Temp\phobos.exe"
    1⤵
    • Drops startup file
    • Adds Run key to start application
    • Drops desktop.ini file(s)
    • Drops file in Program Files directory
    • Suspicious behavior: EnumeratesProcesses
    • Suspicious use of WriteProcessMemory
    PID:1968
    • C:\Users\Admin\AppData\Local\Temp\phobos.exe
      "C:\Users\Admin\AppData\Local\Temp\phobos.exe"
      2⤵
        PID:2592
      • C:\Windows\system32\cmd.exe
        "C:\Windows\system32\cmd.exe"
        2⤵
        • Suspicious use of WriteProcessMemory
        PID:2548
        • C:\Windows\system32\vssadmin.exe
          vssadmin delete shadows /all /quiet
          3⤵
          • Interacts with shadow copies
          PID:2676
        • C:\Windows\System32\Wbem\WMIC.exe
          wmic shadowcopy delete
          3⤵
          • Suspicious use of AdjustPrivilegeToken
          PID:2612
        • C:\Windows\system32\bcdedit.exe
          bcdedit /set {default} bootstatuspolicy ignoreallfailures
          3⤵
          • Modifies boot configuration data using bcdedit
          PID:2256
        • C:\Windows\system32\bcdedit.exe
          bcdedit /set {default} recoveryenabled no
          3⤵
          • Modifies boot configuration data using bcdedit
          PID:1476
      • C:\Windows\system32\cmd.exe
        "C:\Windows\system32\cmd.exe"
        2⤵
        • Suspicious use of WriteProcessMemory
        PID:2624
        • C:\Windows\system32\netsh.exe
          netsh advfirewall set currentprofile state off
          3⤵
          • Modifies Windows Firewall
          PID:2632
        • C:\Windows\system32\netsh.exe
          netsh firewall set opmode mode=disable
          3⤵
          • Modifies Windows Firewall
          PID:2200
      • C:\Windows\SysWOW64\mshta.exe
        "C:\Windows\SysWOW64\mshta.exe" "C:\Users\Admin\Desktop\info.hta"
        2⤵
        • Modifies Internet Explorer settings
        PID:2068
      • C:\Windows\SysWOW64\mshta.exe
        "C:\Windows\SysWOW64\mshta.exe" "C:\users\public\desktop\info.hta"
        2⤵
        • Modifies Internet Explorer settings
        PID:1600
      • C:\Windows\SysWOW64\mshta.exe
        "C:\Windows\SysWOW64\mshta.exe" "C:\info.hta"
        2⤵
        • Modifies Internet Explorer settings
        PID:1300
      • C:\Windows\SysWOW64\mshta.exe
        "C:\Windows\SysWOW64\mshta.exe" "F:\info.hta"
        2⤵
        • Modifies Internet Explorer settings
        PID:412
      • C:\Windows\system32\cmd.exe
        "C:\Windows\system32\cmd.exe"
        2⤵
        • Suspicious use of WriteProcessMemory
        PID:2760
        • C:\Windows\system32\vssadmin.exe
          vssadmin delete shadows /all /quiet
          3⤵
          • Interacts with shadow copies
          PID:1712
        • C:\Windows\System32\Wbem\WMIC.exe
          wmic shadowcopy delete
          3⤵
          • Suspicious use of AdjustPrivilegeToken
          PID:2240
        • C:\Windows\system32\bcdedit.exe
          bcdedit /set {default} bootstatuspolicy ignoreallfailures
          3⤵
          • Modifies boot configuration data using bcdedit
          PID:2360
        • C:\Windows\system32\bcdedit.exe
          bcdedit /set {default} recoveryenabled no
          3⤵
          • Modifies boot configuration data using bcdedit
          PID:1692
    • C:\Windows\system32\vssvc.exe
      C:\Windows\system32\vssvc.exe
      1⤵
      • Suspicious use of AdjustPrivilegeToken
      PID:1940

    Network

    MITRE ATT&CK Matrix ATT&CK v13

    Persistence

    Create or Modify System Process

    1
    T1543

    Windows Service

    1
    T1543.003

    Boot or Logon Autostart Execution

    1
    T1547

    Registry Run Keys / Startup Folder

    1
    T1547.001

    Privilege Escalation

    Create or Modify System Process

    1
    T1543

    Windows Service

    1
    T1543.003

    Boot or Logon Autostart Execution

    1
    T1547

    Registry Run Keys / Startup Folder

    1
    T1547.001

    Defense Evasion

    Indicator Removal

    2
    T1070

    File Deletion

    2
    T1070.004

    Impair Defenses

    1
    T1562

    Disable or Modify System Firewall

    1
    T1562.004

    Modify Registry

    2
    T1112

    Credential Access

    Unsecured Credentials

    1
    T1552

    Credentials In Files

    1
    T1552.001

    Discovery

    System Information Discovery

    1
    T1082

    Collection

    Data from Local System

    1
    T1005

    Impact

    Inhibit System Recovery

    3
    T1490

    Replay Monitor

    Loading Replay Monitor...

    Downloads

    • C:\MSOCache\All Users\{90140000-0011-0000-0000-0000000FF1CE}-C\ProPsWW.cab.id[A8E39828-1096].[lockhelp@qq.com].acute
      Filesize

      143.1MB

      MD5

      1c4649acd7e068cbba01e11c5518126a

      SHA1

      eab136940a8fe6af84fe02adbf57627d7d267f01

      SHA256

      bee0e64822a3961d77cbba34afedaa9cc20c58c5c734ca86439749f7ae009fc3

      SHA512

      eb75d0c0369712765513e6a1e6104f3077cbaf7ccffb2af5f9cb6612733d058a71090887505a4323d3310372441d8f544e1bef56a8fbe6fe9d8b2cdf14a63a84

    • C:\info.hta
      Filesize

      6KB

      MD5

      af4b885c070226f552a8aeb9425a0b28

      SHA1

      64b3b00cee4fbf5383955679bef184763591073c

      SHA256

      66d55834590cdb9fd0daeea9682fe9f6d8ef00e9a1843d5673a3224cb6ac5122

      SHA512

      16b4369e62d7af98d54e55dc3b5cb86a637cc760a62bc50711313738c6f9215eb40f318b0d83571c1a15ce39ad6820118c3ce8b7a5722e3048eb8ec0cb319d15