Cybersecurity researchers have found a brand new Linux variant of ransomware referred to as Play (often known as Balloonfly and PlayCrypt) designed to focus on VMWare ESXi environments.
“This growth means that the group could also be increasing its assaults throughout Linux platforms, resulting in a wider sufferer base and improved success of ransom negotiations,” Trend Micro researchers mentioned in a report printed on Friday.
Play, which appeared in June 2022, is understood for its twin extortion techniques of stealing confidential knowledge, encrypting programs, and demanding cash in change for the decryption key. According to estimates launched by Australia and the United States, as of October 2023, as many as 300 organizations have fallen sufferer to this ransomware group.
According to statistics printed by Trend Micro for the primary seven months of 2024, the nation with the best variety of victims is the United States, adopted by Canada, Germany, the United Kingdom and the Netherlands.
The predominant industries affected by Play ransomware throughout this era embody manufacturing, skilled companies, development, IT, retail, monetary companies, transportation, media, authorized companies, and actual property.
The cybersecurity agency’s evaluation of the Linux model of Play got here from a RAR archive file hosted on an IP handle (108.61.142).[.]190) additionally consists of different instruments seen being utilized in earlier assaults, together with PsExec, NetScan, WinSCP, WinRAR and the Coroxy backdoor.
“While no energetic infections have been noticed, the command and management (C&C) servers host widespread instruments presently utilized by the Play ransomware in assaults,” the corporate mentioned. “This may point out that the Linux variant might make use of comparable techniques, strategies, and procedures (TTPs).”
When the ransomware pattern is executed, it checks that it’s operating in an ESXi atmosphere, then encrypts Virtual Machine (VM) recordsdata akin to VM disks, configuration and metadata recordsdata, appending the extension “.PLAY” to them, earlier than dropping a ransom observe within the root listing.
Further evaluation revealed that the Play ransomware group is probably going utilizing companies and infrastructure bought by Prolific Puma, an organization that gives unlawful hyperlink shortening companies to different cybercriminals to be able to evade detection whereas distributing malware.
Specifically, it creates new domains utilizing one thing referred to as a Registered Domain Generation Algorithm (RDGA), a programmatic mechanism that’s more and more being utilized by a number of menace actors, together with VexTrio Viper and Revolver Rabbit, for phishing, spam, and malware distribution.
For instance, Revolver Rabbit is believed to have registered over 500,000 domains within the “.bond” top-level area (TLD) at a value of roughly $1 million or extra and used them as energetic and decoy C2 servers for the XLoader (aka FormBook) stealing malware.
“The most typical RDGA sample utilized by this actor is a number of dictionary phrases adopted by 5 digits, with every phrase or quantity separated by a splash,” Infoblox famous in a current evaluation. “In place of a dictionary phrase, actor’s may additionally use ISO 3166-1 nation codes, full nation names, or numbers similar to years.”
RDGAs are way more troublesome to detect and stop than conventional DGAs as a result of menace actors can generate giant numbers of domains and register and use them unexpectedly or over time inside their felony infrastructure.
“In RDGA, the algorithm is stored secret by the menace actor and all domains are registered,” Infoblox mentioned. “In conventional DGA, the malware accommodates the discoverable algorithm and most domains usually are not registered. While DGA is simply used to connect with the malware controller, RDGA is used for a variety of malicious actions.”
The newest findings point out attainable cooperation between the 2 cybercrime teams, suggesting that the Play ransomware attackers are taking steps to avoid safety protocols by means of the Prolific Puma service.
“ESXi environments are high-value targets for ransomware assaults because of the crucial function they play in enterprise operations,” Trend Micro concludes. “The effectivity of encrypting giant numbers of VMs concurrently, and the precious knowledge saved therein, makes them much more worthwhile for cybercriminals.”
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