Beware of New Trigona Ransomware Attacking Finance and Marketing Industries

The relatively new Trigona ransomware strain, according to Unit 42 researchers, was particularly active in December 2022, targeting industries in the manufacturing, finance, construction, agriculture, marketing, and high technology industries.

“Trigona’s threat operator engaging in behavior such as obtaining initial access to a target’s environment, conducting reconnaissance, transferring malware via remote monitoring and management (RMM) software, creating new user accounts and deploying ransomware,” Unit 42 researchers.

Companies in the United States, Australia, New Zealand, Italy, France, and Germany were affected.

Specifics of the Trigona Ransomware

From the recent analysis, researchers say that unique computer IDs (CIDs) and victim IDs are included in Trigona’s ransom notes, which are presented via an HTML application with embedded JavaScript rather than the typical text file (VID).

Sample Trigona ransom note

The ransom note’s JavaScript contains the following details:

  • A uniquely generated CID and VID
  • A link to the negotiation Tor portal
  • An email address to contact.

At least 15 possible victims who were compromised in December 2022 may be found, according to experts. Also, in January 2023 and February 2023, they discovered two new Trigona ransom notes.

There was no proof that Trigona was using a leak site for double extortion when it was originally discovered. The victims were sent to their negotiating portal by their ransom message instead. A researcher identified a leak site attributable to Trigona hosted on a specific IP address.

Trigona leak site

Additionally, tactics, techniques, and procedures (TTPs) used by Trigona operators and CryLock ransomware operators coincide, indicating that the threat actors who previously used CryLock ransomware may have switched to using Trigona ransomware.

A user on SafeZone, a Russian anti-malware forum, seeking help for Crylock ransomware

Both ransomware families drop ransom notes in HTML Application format, and the ransom message is similar, including:

  • Their claim that all “documents, databases, backups, and other critical” files and data were encrypted
  • AES is their choice of cryptographic algorithm
  • Their statement that “the price depends on how soon you will contact us.”

Hence, by unveiling Trigona and its unusual method of obfuscating malware utilizing password-protected executables, defenders can better defend their organizations against this threat.

Network Security Checklist – Download Free E-Book

Related Read

Gurubaran

Gurubaran is a co-founder of Cyber Security News and GBHackers On Security. He has 10+ years of experience as a Security Consultant, Editor, and Analyst in cybersecurity, technology, and communications.

Recent Posts

Hackers Use ConnectWise SkyKick Credentials to Access Microsoft 365, Halting Cloud Backups

Attackers abused compromised ConnectWise Cloud Backup credentials to access Microsoft 365 customer environments, prompting ConnectWise…

1 day ago

Anthropic’s Claude AI Uncovers Origins of NSA-Provided Cryptographic Keys After 25 Years

Anthropic says an internal Claude research model reconstructed how the National Security Agency generated seeds…

1 day ago

Critical WordPress Flaws Allow Attackers to Execute Remote Code Without Authentication

Two WordPress Core vulnerabilities can be chained to execute remote code without authentication, according to…

1 day ago

OpenBSD Kernel Flaw Dating Back 37 Years Enables Local Privilege Escalation to Root

A newly disclosed OpenBSD kernel exploitation chain combines a shared memory accounting flaw with a…

1 day ago

GhostAction Hackers Hide Credential-Stealing Malware in Fake Font Files Across 94 GitHub Repositories

GhostAction attackers have expanded their GitHub credential theft campaign with a second stage that disguises…

1 day ago

SideCopy Hackers Target Indian Organizations With ReverseRAT Malware to Steal Data

Indian authorities have warned that SideCopy hackers are targeting Indian organizations, including academic institutions, with…

1 day ago