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Severity
High
Analysis Summary
Operations for the BianLian ransomware started in late 2021. Its attacks and tactics still keep changing. By requesting payment for a decryptor and refusing to share the stolen material, the gang engages in multifaceted extortion.
The ransomware group posts victim identities and stolen data on a public blog built on Tor. BianLian's inclusion of an I2P mirror for its blog at the time of its inception made it somewhat distinctive. There is little to no discrimination in the BianLian group's targeting of various businesses. Attacks on government, healthcare, and educational institutions fall under this category. To successfully distribute its malware, the ransomware gang quickly switches to new strategies and lures. The payloads for the BianLian ransomware are currently written in Go.
Vulnerabilities on exposed systems and services are exploited to get initial access. These include ProxyShell vulnerabilities, SonicWall VPN devices, and RDP exploits. The group is also skilled at using its own unique uninstalling and decommissioning commands to target and disable security tools. For evasion, specific, customized commands have been seen aimed at Sophos endpoint and Windows Defender devices.
All known versions of BianLian include hard-coded lists of extensions or routes to include or exclude from the encryption process, and encryption is managed within standard Go libraries. BianLian moves very quickly. Encrypting the entire disk can be completed in a matter of minutes or even seconds. Before victims are aware that something undesirable is happening, they are completely encrypted. BianLian victims are told to communicate with the attackers using their secure onionmail accounts or qTOX messenger.
Ransom Note:
Impact
- Sensitive Data Theft
- File Encryption
- Financial Loss
- Security Bypass
Indicators of Compromise
IP
- 64.52.80.120
- 104.86.182.8
MD5
- ad5fbd52096e8bdc76d4052a5d8975a2
- 08e76dd242e64bb31aec09db8464b28f
- e245f8d129e8eadb00e165c569a14b71
SHA-256
- 7b15f570a23a5c5ce8ff942da60834a9d0549ea3ea9f34f900a09331325df893
- 1fd07b8d1728e416f897bef4f1471126f9b18ef108eb952f4b75050da22e8e43
- 40126ae71b857dd22db39611c25d3d5dd0e60316b72830e930fba9baf23973ce
SHA1
- 67f25f899228a52c6668a7663ff8cf3f9e4dff22
- 3f3f62c33030cfd64dba2d4ecb1634a9042ba292
- 86447d6bcc862ebfa2366f751ce57de8b5948c9c
Remediation
- Block all threat indicators at your respective controls.
- Search for indicators of compromise (IOCs) in your environment utilizing your respective security controls.
- Implement robust multi-layered security measures to detect and respond to ransomware and cyber espionage activities.
- Deploy advanced threat detection tools, such as Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR) and Network Traffic Analysis (NTA), to monitor for suspicious activities and anomalies.
- Ensure timely patching and updating of all software and systems to close known security gaps.
- Use multi-factor authentication (MFA) and strong password policies to protect user accounts from unauthorized access.
- Segment networks to limit lateral movement within the organization in case of a breach.
- Develop and maintain an incident response plan that includes procedures for ransomware attacks and data breaches.
- Train employees on cybersecurity best practices and phishing awareness to reduce the risk of social engineering attacks.
- Regularly back up critical data and ensure backups are stored securely and are not accessible from the primary network.
- Collaborate with cybersecurity firms and government agencies for threat intelligence sharing and coordinated defense strategies.
- Implement encryption for sensitive data at rest and in transit to protect against data theft.
- Limit access to critical systems and data to only those individuals who require it for their role.
