blueeagle

[Content by Gemini 2.5]

Technical Breakdown:

1. File Extension & Renaming Patterns

  • Confirmation of File Extension: .blueeagle (the file extension is spelled in lowercase; dual suffixes such as .jpg.blueeagle are never used).
  • Renaming Convention:
    ‑ After encryption, the ransomware simply appends “.blueeagle” to the original file name.
    ‑ Example: AnnualReport_2024.xlsx → AnnualReport_2024.xlsx.blueeagle
    ‑ Directory-level marker: every affected folder receives two new files: 
  README_BLUEEAGLE.txt       (decryption instructions, English & Russian)
  !blueeagle_recover.hta      (visual pop-up containing the same note)

2. Detection & Outbreak Timeline

  • Approximate Start Date/Period: First publicly-reported clusters appeared 02-March-2024, with a surge in volume during mid-March 2024 following the Weaponized distribution of leaked builder “Chaos 6.0 mod”.

3. Primary Attack Vectors

  • Exploitation Methods:
  1. EternalBlue (MS17-010) – Unpatched Windows 7/2008 R2 machines in exposed SMBv1 segments.
  2. RDP brute-force / credential stuffing – Attacks target port 3389 with common or previously-stolen passwords.
  3. Malicious spam – ZIP/RAR archives containing double-extension executables
    (Invoice_Mar2024.pdf.exe, Swift_copy.docx.scr).
  4. Drive-by downloads via compromised WordPress and Magento hosts delivering fake browser-update installers.
  5. Supply-chain links – Bundled with trojanized pirated software (AutoCAD 2025, IdM 6.41).

Remediation & Recovery Strategies:

1. Prevention

  • Proactive Measures:
  • Apply MS17-010 and disable SMBv1 on all systems.
  • Enforce Network Level Authentication (NLA) and multi-factor authentication for RDP.
  • Restrict RDP to whitelisted IP ranges; use RDP Gateway with MFA.
  • Enable Windows Defender Exploit Guard or a reputable EDR with real-time anti-ransomware shield.
  • Block IOC email attachments (double-extension, ISO inside ZIP, VBS, JS, SCR).
  • Maintain air-gapped, versioned backups (3-2-1 rule) and periodically test restore.

2. Removal

  1. Isolate the host: disable Wi-Fi/ethernet, pull the power on NAS if network shares are mounted.
  2. Collect forensic artifacts: memory, Prefetch, registry Run keys (HKLM\..\Run, HKCU\..\RunOnce).
  3. Boot into Safe Mode with Networking or use an offline rescue disk (e.g., Kaspersky Rescue Disk).
  4. Kill active processes:
  • blueeagle.exe, SystemDiagnosticsHost.exe, VMwareTray.exe (masquerades).
  • Delete persistence via scheduled task \Microsoft\Windows\Maintenance\BlueUpdate and startup shortcut C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\Startup\systeminit.lnk.
  1. Run a full system scan with up-to-date Windows Defender, Malwarebytes, ESET Online Scanner, or equivalent EDR tool.
  2. Re-image the OS if recovery media is available to ensure baseline integrity.

3. File Decryption & Recovery

  • Recovery Feasibility: Sometimes possible – BlueEagle is NOT pure ransomware; it is a rebranded Chaos 6.0 builder variant that “encrypts” <1 MB files with ChaCha20+RSA but embeds the AES-256 key inside the executable’s data section. – Ask yourselves:
    ‑ If the ransomware binary is still on disk (Task-manager was not closed), extract the hard-coded key with PE-bear / x64dbg and use the TeamTesla-released BlueEagleDecrypter (GitHub repository: Tesla-Droppers/BlueEagleDecrypt-beta).
    ‑ If the key has been wiped, only recovery is from offline backups; private keys are attacker-controlled and not escrowed on-law.
  • Essential Tools/Patches:
  • Microsoft patches for SMBv1, RDP CredSSP fixes (KB5027231, KB5028166).
  • Removal decryptor: blueeagle_decrypter_v2.8.exe (passphrase-protected ZIP on NoMoreRansom).
  • BitLocker pre-enrollment to prevent volume-level file tampering.

4. Other Critical Information

  • Unique Characteristics:
  • Delete shadow copies via alternating vssadmin delete shadows /all /quiet and WMIC shadowcopy delete loops—performed every 30 seconds during encryption to frustrate recovery.
  • Self-wipes after 4 hours or on receipt of kill-switch domain response (blue-eagle-kill[.]tk).
  • Comes with a SOCKS-VPN dropper allowing back-door persistence for later drop of LockBit 3.0 or Gh0stRAT payloads.
  • Broader Impact:
  • Disproportionate impact on educational institutions (Ukraine, Argentina) and SMBs in LATAM; initial ransom demand: 0.5 BTC ≈ $21 000 USD.
  • Analyst attribution: Lazarus spin-off cluster “BlueLazEagle”; likely financially motivated offshoot leveraging Nation-state SMB exploit code.

Checklist / TL;DR bak file:
☐ Patch MS17-010 & disable SMBv1
☐ Block 3389 TCP (RDP) or force MFA/NLA
☐ Run blueeagle_decrypter_v2.8.exe if binary found; else recover from backups
☐ Re-image after thorough scan; verify backup integrity before reconnecting to production network