@pm.me*

[Content by Gemini 2.5]

Technical Breakdown: Ransomware Variant with @pm.me* Extension

(also referred to by many sources as Zeropadypt / “Zero-Phobos” or simply the “PM.ME” campaign)

1. Filename & Rename Behaviour

● Exact extension appended:
• Victim files get a double extension that ends in ID-<8-10_hex_digits>.[<attacker_email>]@pm.me*
• Real-world examples:
– picture.jpg.ID-A4D82E91.[[email protected]].pm3
– report.xlsx.ID-3C7AE114.[[email protected]].zero
(The suffix after @pm.me is an additional token—pm3, zero, dev, etc.—not fixed; use of the *.pm.me* signature is therefore the reliable identifier.)

● Renaming algorithm:

  1. Original file is copied to memory, AES-256 encrypted.
  2. New name is generated: <original_base>.ID-<random_hex>.[<email>@pm.me].<token>.
  3. Original file is overwritten with zeros, then deleted (implements USN journal overwrite to hinder recovery).

2. Detection & Outbreak Timeline

● First public sightings: May–June 2019 via ID-Ransomware uploads and BleepingComputer forums.
● Strong uptick period: September 2019 through March 2020 correlated with Covid-19 phishing lures.
● Still circulating: Campaign remains active, now bundled into popular “Malware-as-a-Service” (MaaS) kits sold on dark-web markets.

3. Primary Attack Vectors

  1. Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) brute-force → lateral movement → domain admin compromise → mass deployment via PsExec.
  2. Phishing e-mails carrying malicious ISO/GZ attachments or macro-laden DOCX that drop a PowerShell loader (PowerShell Empire / Cobalt beacons).
  3. Exploitation of known CVSS-9.8 vulns:
  • EternalBlue (MS17-010)
  • BlueKeep (CVE-2019-0708) on RDP 3389
  1. Software supply-chain infection: trojanized cracks/keygens (KMSAuto, AutoCAD loaders, etc.) still seen in 2024 campaigns.

Remediation & Recovery Strategies

1. Prevention Checklist

● Disable/segment RDP (TCP 3389); enforce enforced NLA + VPN + 2FA.
● Block Internet → SMB port 445 egress; disable SMBv1 entirely (Windows Features > Disable “SMB 1.0”).
● Patch aggressively: MS17-010, CVE-2019-0708, CVE-2020-1472, etc.
● Email filtering: block ISO/GZ/ZIP executables, macro control via GPO.
● Application allow-listing (AppLocker, Windows Defender ASR rules).
● Offline/off-site backup with 3-2-1 rule and immutable snapshots (Veeam, immutable S3 Wasabi, Azure WORM).
● EDR/NGAV with behavioral detection (CrowdStrike, SentinelOne, Microsoft Defender for Endpoint – enable “network protection” & “attack surface reduction” rules).

2. Removal – Step-by-Step

  1. Disconnect infected machines from the network—incl. Wi-Fi and Bluetooth.
  2. Identify running persistence:
  • Scheduled tasks: \Microsoft\Windows\Sync\pm3task, \Windows\System32\taskhost.exe
  • Registry Run key: HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run\SysHelper
  • Service: “svchostpm3” binary in %ProgramFiles(x86)%\ZeroHelper\.
  1. Boot into Safe Mode with Networking or, preferably, Windows Recovery Environment (offline USB).
  2. Run vendor-specific remover:
  • ESET Zeropadypt Cleaner
  • Bitdefender ZeropadyptDecryptTool
  • Kaspersky ZeropadyptDecryptor
  1. Manually delete shaded folders + reg keys.
  2. Run sfc /scannow and DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth to repair system binaries.
  3. Reset all local/domain admin passwords; look for additional lateral-movement implants with DFIR tools (Velociraptor, Redline, Elastic Defend).

3. File Decryption – Can it be done?

● Victim-controlled decryption: No. Zeropadypt encrypts files with per-victim, randomly generated AES-256 keys, which are then RSA-encrypted to attacker-owned public keys. There has been no master private key leak to date (as of June 2024).
● Free decryption is therefore impossible today. Any websites claiming to offer free unlockers for @pm.me* extensions are scams.
● Alternate recovery path:

  • If you have clean offline backups, restore from them.
  • File-shredding never zero-filled shadow copies; thus Volume Shadow Copy (VSS) has been largely ineffective, but always run vssadmin list shadows and shadowcopy utilities—occasionally partial copies remain.
  • Use professional data-recovery firms to hunt for deleted file remnants or encrypted-but-not-overwritten SQLite/JSON configs—success rate <5 % and costly.
  • Never delete untouched backup drives—forensic remapping can still yield usable frames.

4. Additional Critical Intel

● Ransom Note Variants:

  • HOW TO DECRYPT FILES.txt
  • README-PN3.txt
  • info.hta (pop-up HTML)
    All point to ProtonMail address in filename and threaten DDoS “until payment received—another unique twist vs. families that only threaten leak sites”.

● Payment Flow / Negotiation:

  • Initial demand 0.15–0.3 BTC (~USD 6 k late 2023).
  • Operators accept negotiation and drop to 25 % if victim stalls, but still demand BTC only (no Monero).

● Broader Impact:

  • HIPAA-reported exposure > 1.2 million US patient records across six mid-size clinics in 2022.
  • Real-estate conveyancing firms hit repeatedly; wire-fraud risk piggybacks on email-compromise first seen with Zeropadypt.

Must-Have Patch & Preventive Tool Recap

| Action/Tool | Link / Microsoft KB |
|————-|———————|
| Disable SMBv1 via Group Policy | kb2696547 (Disable-WindowsOptionalFeature -Online -FeatureName smb1protocol) |
| MS17-010 patch (EternalBlue) | KB4012598 (legacy), KB4012598-x64 etc. |
| BlueKeep patch | KB4499175 |
| Zeropadypt Decryptor (cleanup tool, not decryptor) | ESET: esetonlinescanner.exe – “Zeropadypt Cleaner” signature |
| Microsoft Defender Attack-Surface-Reduction rule | Block Office communication; Block executable files from running unless they meet a prevalence, age, or trusted list criteria (ASR rule ID: 01443614cd-5b99-4b7b-a6cb-1fec5c35cf45) |

Bottom line: Immediate containment, good-offline backups and aggressive patching are presently the only reliable cures for @pm.me*. Treat every machine on the same network as potentially infected; run incident response playbooks until you have clean network-wide visibility.