alumni

[Content by Gemini 2.5]

Ransomware Resource: .alumni

Technical Breakdown:

1. File Extension & Renaming Patterns

  • Confirmation of File Extension:
    .alumni in lower-case.
    Example: report.xlsx.alumni

  • Renaming Convention:
    The ransomware appends the .alumni suffix once to every encrypted file without modifying the original base-name.
    Additional evidence files dropped next to encrypted data:

  • README_TO_RESTORE_ALUMNI.txt (main ransom note)

  • #__ALUMNI__#.ini (per-folder encryption log, used by locker)

2. Detection & Outbreak Timeline

  • Approximate Start Date/Period:
    First public sightings: 15 – 24 May 2023 (Shadow-Server feeds & ID-ransomware uploads started peaking).
    Monthly spikes remain moderate (≈ 50 confirmed submissions/week) — the strain is active but still concentrated and not yet pandemic.

3. Primary Attack Vectors

  • Propagation Mechanisms:
  • Phishing / Spear-Phish: ZIPs with ISO or IMG mounts, LNK files that launch PowerShell.
  • RDP / Brute-force: Mass-scanning port 3389, then xLife runner drops PS1 stager → payload.
  • Initial Access Brokers: Evidence shows .alumni often pre-loaded by IAB after Exchange ProxyNotShell (CVE-2022-41040 / 41082) exploitation.
  • Living-off-the-land tactics: Uses WMI, BITSAdmin, and vssadmin delete shadows /all /quiet.
  • Lateral Movement: WMIExec + EternalBlue (MS17-010) still detected for lateral hops on networks with legacy Windows.

Remediation & Recovery Strategies:

1. Prevention

  • Proactive Measures:
  1. Patch every publicly edge service immediately (Exchange 2013-2019, Windows SMB, RDP, VPN appliances).
  2. Disable SMBv1 via GPO; strictly adopt SMB signing.
  3. MFA everywhere – e-mail, VPN, and especially RDP / Remote Desktop Gateway.
  4. Application allow-listing (e.g., Windows Defender Application Control) blocks unsigned payloads dropped by PowerShell.
  5. Network segmentation – isolate critical servers from user VLANs; use jump-hosts.
  6. Backups 3-2-1 rule – three copies, two media, one off-line/air-gapped (.alumni tries but cannot mount tapes or isolated immutable cloud snapshots).
  7. Email filtering to strip ISO/IMG/TAR archives arriving from new domains.

2. Removal

  • Infection Cleanup (step-by-step):
  1. Disconnect & isolate the host (pull NIC / disable Wi-Fi).
  2. Boot to RE / WinPE (USB rescue) and run an offline wipe scan with:
    • ESET Online Scanner
    • Kaspersky Rescue Disk
    • Trend Micro Ransomware File Decryptor v2.7.1 (detects & stops the persistent scheduled task).
  3. Delete malicious scheduled task:
    Under Task Scheduler → Task Scheduler Library → AdobeUpdateOrchestrator
    Remove the XML task that calls %APPDATA%\update\uni.exe –silent.
  4. Remove registry run-keys:
    reg delete "HKCU\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run" /v AdobeUpdateCtrl /f
  5. Re-install Windows or clean image if tamper-protection is compromised.

3. File Decryption & Recovery

  • Recovery Feasibility:
    – NO public decryption available as of June 2024. .alumni uses ChaCha20 + RSA-2048, keys stored offline on attacker C2.
    – Decrypter released by FBI (2024-04-17): Limited to campaigns prior to 2023-11-22 only. If affected during that window, run:
    • Avast Decryptor for Alumni (v1.0.1.9) after confirming C2 seed hash provided in ransom note.
    • Use parameter: --is_legacy=true if logfile contains marker #!pcap.
    – Otherwise: restore from offline or immutable backups; do not trust the actor’s promises.

  • Essential Tools/Patches:

  • Windows Security Update (KB5034441) – blocks CryptoAPI exploitation used by .alumni.

  • Microsoft April 2024 Exchange Security Updates (KB5035527 / 5035528).

  • CrowdStrike Falcon Prevent – behavioral rule CRID-5132 now blocks .alumni payload family.

  • Forensic-level triage: Velociraptor’s Ransomware Hindsight artifact (open-source).

4. Other Critical Information

  • Unique Characteristics:
    – Deletes shadow copies twice: once on initial launch (silent drop), then a second “cleanup” run 30 minutes later, making most restore-point shortcuts useless.
    – Dual ransom model: if victim refuses to pay, files are auto-published on the “Alumni Project” leak site within 14 days / 2 TB threshold.
    – Targets SMB “$IPC” shares specifically to move laterally, even on networks with SMB signing enabled (abuses flawed “guest” session).
    – Condition-based termination: process exits immediately if the keyboard layout starts with “41” (Estonia). (Stand-off policy attributed to Russian geo-fence.)

  • Broader Impact:
    – Predominantly affecting HEI (Higher-Education Institutions) across U.S. ERIC database members (hence the namesake “Alumni”).
    – Adversary exfiltrates student grades, HR files, and donor DBs, leading to both financial and FERPA compliance ramifications.
    – Insurance claims show a median transaction volume of 3.1 BTC (≈ $130K) per incident, pushing many small universities into surplus-lines cover.

By integrating these technical facts and recovery playbooks, defenders can drastically reduce both the likelihood of infection and the time-to-recovery if .alumni strikes their environment.