Tuesday, March 19, 2024

New Variant of Scarab Ransomware Distributed via RDP on Systems and Servers

Security researchers from Malwarebytes detected Scarab ransomware variant distributed through RDP and used AES algorithm for encryption. The Scarabey variant is written in Delphi and it is identical to Scarab version the only change is the addresses of code and memory data references.

The popular version of the Scarab Ransomware distributed by a Necurs botnet and it is written in C. Scarabey found targetting Russian users and is designed same as like any other ransomware demanding Bitcoin.

The main difference between them is the ransom note, with Scarab it is written in English and on Scarabey it is written in Russian. Scarab uses to warn the users to make payment soon else the price will increase, on the other hand, Scarabey warns more and more files will be encrypted.

Researchers said There is no backdoor or remote access code in scarab or its variants, which makes the threat of deleting files on victim’s computer impossible.

Execution Flow – Scarabey

It checks with the parameters before executing to ensure this is the first run, also it makes sure there is key process is running. If any key process found it kills the process to avoid having the file locked.

Encryption loops called multiple sections in the code, but the main loop performs the majority of the encryption. It goes through all the folders if the file is not .exe or .dll it encrypts and changes to the .scarab extension.

It doesn’t use crypto  APIs instead it uses AES algorithm for encryption. Malwarebytes provided technical analysis of the ransomware.

“The key used to encrypt changes from file to file. Meaning that two files with identical content will be different after encryption. Essentially what happens is that there is an initial key and many subkeys are derived from that key.
If just a single encryption key was used for all of the files, you would be able to capture the memory at any point in the encryption process, save the key, and use it to decrypt all of the files on your hard drive. Unfortunately, because of this key cycling that Scarab performs, it makes decryption of the files likely impossible.” researchers said.

Once the disk drive encryption completed it calls to the enumeration functions to locate the network drives and folders.

Website

Latest articles

Beware Of Free wedding Invite WhatsApp Scam That Steal Sensitive Data

The ongoing "free wedding invite" scam is one of several innovative campaigns aimed at...

Hackers Using Weaponized SVG Files in Cyber Attacks

Cybercriminals have repurposed Scalable Vector Graphics (SVG) files to deliver malware, a technique that...

New Acoustic Keyboard Side Channel Attack Let Attackers Steal Sensitive Data

In recent years, personal data security has surged in importance due to digital device...

Discontinued WordPress Plugin Flaw Exposes Websites to Cyber Attacks

A critical vulnerability was discovered in two plugins developed by miniOrange.The affected plugins,...

ShadowSyndicate Hackers Exploiting Aiohttp Vulnerability To Access Sensitive Data

A new Aiohttp vulnerability has been discovered, which the threat actor ShadowSyndicate exploits.Aiohttp...

Hackers Launching AI-Powered Cyber Attacks to Steal Billions

INTERPOL's latest assessment on global financial fraud uncovers the sophisticated evolution of cybercrime, fueled...

Fujitsu Hacked – Attackers Infected The Company Computers with Malware

Fujitsu Limited announced the discovery of malware on several of its operational computers, raising...
Guru baran
Guru baranhttps://gbhackers.com
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.

Mitigating Vulnerability Types & 0-day Threats

Mitigating Vulnerability & 0-day Threats

Alert Fatigue that helps no one as security teams need to triage 100s of vulnerabilities.

  • The problem of vulnerability fatigue today
  • Difference between CVSS-specific vulnerability vs risk-based vulnerability
  • Evaluating vulnerabilities based on the business impact/risk
  • Automation to reduce alert fatigue and enhance security posture significantly

Related Articles