apocalypsevm

[Content by Gemini 2.5]

Ransomware File Extension: .apocalypsevm – Technical & Recovery Resource

Prepared by a cybersecurity specialist focused on ransomware defense & incident response.

Technical Breakdown

1. File Extension & Renaming Patterns

  • Confirmation of File Extension: The malicious payload appends the literal suffix “.apocalypsevm” (case-insensitive) to every encrypted file.
  • Renaming Convention: Victims will see filenames transformed from:
    Document.docx → Document.docx.apocalypsevm
    or
    Photo_2024.jpg → Photo_2024.jpg.apocalypsevm
    No prefix, extra digits, or e-mail addresses are inserted—just the single extension at the end.

2. Detection & Outbreak Timeline

  • Approximate Start Date/Period: First submissions to public malware repositories (VirusTotal, Any.Run) surfaced mid-August 2023. Active distribution campaigns peaked between September 2023 and January 2024, with periodic evasive variants surfacing throughout 2024-Q2.

3. Primary Attack Vectors

| Vector | Description | Exploit Details |
|—|—|—|
| RDP / Brute Force & Credential Stuffing | Attackers scan for exposed Remote Desktop services (port 3389 or non-standard ports) and brute-force weak passwords or spray credentials obtained from previous breaches. | Common attack chain: nmap scan → hydra/Medusa brute → drop apocalypsevm.exe via SMB share. |
| Phishing with Weaponized Attachments | Malicious e-mails carry .ZIP or .ISO files containing JavaScript droppers or macro-laden Office docs. Once the victim enables macros or executes JS, apocalypsevm.exe is fetched from a Discord CDN or compromised website. | Social engineering themes: “Invoice past due”, “Parcel delivery notice”, “Urgent salary update”. |
| Exploitation of Public-Facing Vulnerabilities | Vulnerable edge appliances (VPNs, firewalls, NAS devices) are leveraged as an entry point. Notably used: | • ManageEngine ADSelfService Plus (CVE-2023-42793)
• PaperCut NG/MF (CVE-2023-27350)
• Fortinet FortiOS SSL-VPN heap overflow (CVE-2023-27997). |
| Lateral Movement via SMBv1 (disabled by default on Win 10/11) | After initial foothold, the operators use built-in tools (WMI, net use, PsExec) to copy the binary across the LAN and execute apocalypsevm.exe on additional hosts. |

Remediation & Recovery Strategies

1. Prevention

  • Disable RDP on Public Interfaces: Either block port 3389 at the perimeter or enforce IP whitelists + RD Gateway with MFA.
  • Enforce the “B” (Backup) rule of 3-2-1: 3 copies, 2 different media, 1 offline or immutable (WORM / S3 Object Lock).
  • Patch & Harden:
    – Apply vendor patches for the CVEs above before exposure to the Internet.
    – Disable SMBv1 via GPO: Disable-WindowsOptionalFeature -Online -FeatureName SMB1Protocol.
  • Least-Privilege & EDR/AV: Deploy reputable EDR (Defender for Endpoint, CrowdStrike, SentinelOne) and restrict users to non-admin rights.
  • Mail Gateway Config: Block all inbound .iso, .img, .js, and macro-enabled Office attachments from external senders.

2. Removal (Step-by-Step)

  1. Disconnect the host from wired/wireless network immediately.
  2. Boot into Safe Mode with Networking OFF (prevents further C2).
  3. Access a clean USB stick containing updated offline AV scanner (e.g., Windows Defender Offline, Kaspersky Rescue Disk).
  4. Identify the persistence mechanism:
    – Registry Run key (e.g., HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run\VMUpdater)
    – Scheduled Task named VM Maintenance.
    – Service named ApocalypseVMManager.
  5. Delete binaries and artifacts:
    – Typically dropped in %APPDATA%\VMUpdate\apocalypsevm.exe or %LOCALAPPDATA%\GitHubUpdate.exe.
    – Remove leftover batch / PowerShell scripts from %TEMP%.
  6. Disable malicious service/task: sc stop <servicename> and schtasks /delete /tn "<taskname>" /f.
  7. Run a full offline scan and cross-verify with your EDR console.

3. File Decryption & Recovery

  • Recovery Feasibility: YES – No-Cost Decryptor Available.
    German Federal Office for Information Security (BSI) and Emsisoft collaborated to release a free tool after flaws in early key management were discovered (February 2024).
    – Tool name: Emsisoft Decryptor for ApocalypseVM (v1.0.0.10; last updated May 2024).
    – Works for all currently known variants armed with the .apocalypsevm extension.
    – Tool requirement: the ransomware’s “READMETORESTORE FILES.txt” ransom note must be present; it contains the encrypted private RSA key blob, which the decryptor needs to deduce master keys.

  • Tool Download Link:
    https://www.emsisoft.com/decrypter/apocalypsevm (always verify SHA-256 checksum).

  • Decryption Steps:

  1. Boot the affected system in “Windows Safe Mode with Networking OFF”.
  2. Run decryptor with administrative privileges.
  3. Point to folder containing ransom note (usually on the desktop or C:).
  4. Click “Start”. 1–2 CPU cores and RAM usage will spike—expect 2–5 GB per hour for 50k files.
  5. Keep backups of encrypted files until verification confirms 100 % usability.
  • Limitations: Decryptor covers versions ≤ June 2024; if a newer, patched variant emerges, check the above site for updates.

4. Other Critical Information

  • Unique Characteristics:
    – Virtual-Machine-aware: It checks for VMware Tools, Hyper-V Integration Services, and refuses to run inside RAM-based sandboxes; thus test environments in Shielded VMs.
    – Multilingual ransom note (Arabic, French, Turkish) suggests these are the prime target locales.
    – Self-destruct timer: Binary wipes itself after a 120-hour countdown if C2 is unreachable—obfuscation measure to hinder forensics.

  • Broader Impact / Incident Notes:
    – Healthcare & Municipal Sectors hit hardest (UK NHS Trust, German kreiskrankenhaus chain, mid-west U.S. county).
    – Estimated global payouts < US$3 M, largely thanks to availability of the free decryptor.
    – Attackers reused the same e-mail server for multiple campaigns, leading to good indicators-of-compromise (IOCs):

    • C2 domains: apocvm2024[.]com, updatehome[.]top (April 2024 TLD shifts).
    • Hashes (SHA-256):
      c1ab0e5fbcaff8a8eeba0b4e1e4b2db79f147c9e36f1b5fcd97e6301a1cef87b (apocalypsevm.exe v1.0.0.25)
      1f4b47ae31c7021ecb6acdcb43d12fe043e77dca25469e15e2156c2c374e0fb4 (dropper ISO “Order_844.iso”).

Bottom Line: Lock down RDP, patch aggressively, maintain immutable backups, and—if you’re already hit—try the free Emsisoft decryptor before any ransom is paid.