Ransom.DarkSide

Short bio

Ransom.DarkSide is Malwarebytes' detection name for a strain of RaaS (Ransomware-as-a-Service) that emerged mid 2020.

Symptoms

After encryption, victims will find a ransom note named README.[victim's_ID].TXT

Type and source of infection

Ransomware is a category of malware that holds files or systems hostage for ransom. Ransom.DarkSide is a human-operated ransomware known for their professional operations and large ransoms. Typically, with RaaS you will see affiliates run different distribution vectors and look over each other’s shoulder to see what is working best. Ransom.DarkSide has an affiliate program that offers anyone who helps spread their malware 10-25% of the payout.

Aftermath

Like many other ransomware operators DarkSide has also increased pressure on its victims by threatening to publicize exfiltrated data on the dark web.

Protection

Malwarebytes protects business and home users from Ransom.DarkSide by using Anti-Ransomware technology and real-time protection.

Home remediation

Malwarebytes can detect and remove Ransom.DarkSide without further user interaction.

1. Please download Malwarebytes to your desktop.
2. Double-click MBSetup.exe and follow the prompts to install the program.
3. When your Malwarebytes for Windows installation completes, the program opens to the Welcome to Malwarebytes screen.
4. Click on the Get started button.
5. Click Scan to start a Threat Scan.
6. Click Quarantine to remove the found threats.
7. Reboot the system if prompted to complete the removal process.

Take note, however, that removing this ransomware does not decrypt your files. You can only get your files back from backups you made before the infection happened.

Business remediation

How to remove Ransom.DarkSide with the Malwarebytes Nebula console

You can use the Malwarebytes Anti-Malware Nebula console to scan endpoints.

Nebula endpoint tasks menu

Choose the Scan + Quarantine option. Afterwards you can check the Detections page to see which threats were found. On the Quarantine page you can see which threats were quarantined and restore them if necessary. All component/technology detections are passed to the remediation engine for complete removal from infected systems. This industry leading technology uses patented techniques in identifying all cohorts or associated files for a single threat and removes them all together to prevent malware from resuscitating itself. If you are using Malwarebytes Ransomware Rollback technology, it allows you to wind back the clock to negate the impact of ransomware by leveraging just-in-time backups.

Traces/IOCs

SHA256 hashes:

12ee27f56ec8a2a3eb2fe69179be3f7a7193ce2b92963ad33356ed299f7ed975 9cee5522a7ca2bfca7cd3d9daba23e9a30deb6205f56c12045839075f7627297