Threat Signal Report

Ransomware Roundup â€“ 2022/06/23

Description

FortiGuard Labs has become aware of several ransomware strains that caught the public's attention for the week of June 20th, 2022. It is imperative to raise awareness about ransomware variants because infections can cause severe damage to organizations. This week's Ransomware Roundup Threat Signal covers eCh0raix, DeadLocker and Kawaii ransomware along with the Fortinet protections against them.

What is eCh0raix Ransomware?

eCh0raix, also known as QNAPCrypt and Qlocker, is a ransomware that has been in the field since 2019, and targets QNAP and Synology Network-Attached-Storage (NAS) devices. It encrypts files on those devices and adds a file extension such as ".encrypt" or ".muhstik", and leaves a ransom note in "README_FOR_DECRYPT.txt". Some eCh0raix's ransom notes reportedly have a ".txtt" extension rather than ".txt", which is considered as misspelling by the attacker. eCh0raix threat actors are known to typically ask for small amount of ransom ($1000 ~ $3000) in Bitcoin through a Onion site for file decryption.

eCh0raix ransomware's ransom note

In May 2021, QNAP released an advisory warning QNAP users of eCh0raix ransomware targeting QNAP devices using weak passwords or outdated QTS firmware. QNAP again issued an advisory in June 2021 that eCh0raix ransomware was observed to have exploited several QNAP vulnerabilities in Photo Station (CVE-2019-7192, CVE-2019-7193, CVE-2019-7194, CVE-2019-7195). Those vulnerabilities were patched in late 2019. In mid-2021, a report surfaced that a vulnerability in Hybrid Backup Sync (HBS3) was exploited by eCh0raix ransomware. Assigned CVE-2021-28799, the vulnerability allows remote attackers to log in to vulnerable QNAP devices and install the ransomware. QNAP issued a patch for CVE-2021-28799 in April 2021.

The advisory for eCh0raix ransomware issued by QNAP recommends the following actions to prevent eCh0raix infection:

Use stronger passwords for your administrator accounts.
Enable IP Access Protection to protect accounts from brute force attacks.
Avoid using default port numbers 443 and 8080.
Update QTS to the latest version.
Update all installed applications to their latest versions.

Some variants of eCh0raix ransomware allegedly target Synology NAS devices, however the attack vector has not been identified.

What is the Status of Coverage?

Fortinet provides the following AV coverage against known eCh0raix ransomware samples:

ELF/eCh0raix.A!tr

ELF/Filecoder_ECh0raix.A!tr

ELF/Filecoder_ECh0raix.C!tr

Linux/Filecoder_ECh0raix.D!tr

ELF/Cryptor.74B2!tr.ransom

FortiGuard Labs provides the following IPS coverage against known vulnerabilities that were used to install eCh0raix ransomware to unpatched QNAP devices:

QNAP.NAS.HBS.3.Authentication.Bypass (CVE-2021-28799)

QNAP.Photo.Station.Authentication.Bypass (CVE-2019-7192, CVE-2019-7194, CVE-2019-7195)

QNAP.QTS.Remote.Code.Injection (CVE-2019-7193)

What is DeadLocker Ransomware?

DeadLocker is a ransomware that was recently discovered and appears to target Turkey. The ransomware encrypts files on victim's machine and adds ".deadlocked" to the affected files. It replaces desktop wallpaper and displays a ransom message in Turkish that demands the victim to purchase one year of Nitro service (most likely refers to Discord Nitro) or pay $650 US to decrypt the files. At the time of this writing, Discord Nitro costs $99 US annually. The attacker claims that the ransom amount will be reduced to $325 if a ransom is paid within 72 hours.

Wallpaper of DeadLocker

Ransom message displayed by DeadLocker ransomware

Ransom message in English translation:

Oh no!!!!

All your files are locked by DeadLocker

1-) What can I do?
You can't do much, you need a special password to open the files.

2-) How can I get my files back?
You need to send 1 year of nitro or $650, if you pay within 72 hours it will be reduced to $325

3 - ) Where will I pay?
You can contact [reducted] and get the address to send the nitro or $650

Encrypted Files:
[List of encrypted files]

What is the Status of Coverage?

Fortinet provides the following AV coverage against DeadLocker ransomware:

MSIL/Locker.AFL!tr

What is Kawaii Ransomware?

Kawaii is a new ransomware that claims to have encrypted files on the victim's machine and demands $300 US worth of Bitcoin to decrypt them. Victims of Kawaii ransomware are given only 10 hours to pay a ransom, which is a probable attempt to add extra pressure to the victims. Once a ransom is paid, victims are asked to contact the attacker through email to obtain a decryption key.

Kawaii ransomware's ransom note

What is the Status of Coverage?

Fortinet provides the following AV coverage against Kawaii ransomware

MSIL/HiddenTears.F0EE!tr.ransom

Anything Else to Note?

Victims of ransomware are cautioned against paying ransoms by such organizations as CISA, NCSC, the FBI, and HHS. Payment does not guarantee files will be recovered. It may also embolden adversaries to target additional organizations, encourage other criminal actors to engage in the distribution of ransomware, and/or fund illicit activities which could potentially be illegal according to a U.S. Department of Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) advisory.