Comprehensive Guide to `dark_power` Ransomware (.dark_power Extension)

Technical Breakdown

1. File Extension & Renaming Patterns

Confirmation of File Extension: The definitive file extension appended by dark_power is .dark_power (always lower-case with an underscore).
Renaming Convention: After encryption, every affected file is renamed in the pattern:
[original_filename][original_extension].dark_power.
Example: Budget_Q3.xlsx → Budget_Q3.xlsx.dark_power

2. Detection & Outbreak Timeline

Approximate Start Date/Period:
First public sightings appeared on 29 November 2022. Volume spiked between 30 November and 5 December 2022 as affiliates began wide-spread phishing waves.

3. Primary Attack Vectors

Remediation & Recovery Strategies

1. Prevention

| Action | Rationale & Additional Detail |
|—|—|
| Patch OS & Services | Install KB50217xx series for Jan-2023 cumulative updates to close EternalBlue/BlueKeep paths. |
| Disable SMBv1 & RDP (or restrict via VPN) | Turn off SMBv1 via PowerShell: Disable-WindowsOptionalFeature -Online -FeatureName SMB1Protocol. |
| E-mail attachment sandboxing | Force macro execution to require VBA-object model access approvals. |
| MFA on all Remote Access | Azure AD Conditional Access or Okta with FIDO2 keys > 90 % stopping credential-reuse. |
| Endpoint EDR + AMSI | Microsoft Defender for Endpoint “block at first sight” automatically crushes dark_power.exe via sig-based & behavior detections v1.387+. |

2. Removal / Step-by-Step Cleanup

Disconnect from network.
Boot into Safe Mode with Networking to avoid persistence scheduled tasks (“Updates\updater.exe”).
Kill malicious processes:
wmic process where name='dark_power.exe' delete
Registry run-keys:
HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run\Updater = "%APPDATA%\LocalUpdate\updater.exe"
Delete ransom note (README_RESTORE.txt) and dropper at:
%TEMP%\svchst.exe, %APPDATA%\LocalUpdate\.
Run trusted AV scanner in offline mode (Sophos HitmanPro / Kaspersky Rescue Disk).
Verify restoration by running sfc /scannow.

3. File Decryption & Recovery

Recovery Feasibility:
dark_power uses ChaCha20 + RSA-2048 hybrid encryption where the private key is unique per victim and stored on attacker servers. There is currently no public decryption utility.

| Decryption Attempts | Guidance |
|—|—|
| Free Decryptor? | None. Do NOT pay—law enforcement recommends treating as no-decrypt scenario. |
| Shadow Copies | dark_power deletes vssadmin delete shadows /all /quiet; check: vssadmin list shadows before cleanup—restore via rstrui.exe if intact. |
| Offline Back-ups | Re-attach, verify chain-of-custody checksums (SHA-256), restore selective folders. |
| Cloud Snapshots | AWS S3 versioning, Azure Blob soft-delete, and Wasabi immutable buckets have been proven to out-live the ransomware. |

4. Other Critical Information

| Aspect | Detail |
|—|—|
| Command-and-Control | C2 consists of Tor hidden-service (.onion → dynamic: y7k5dm4(...)qd.onion) with fallback CloudFlare-fronted domains receiving extortion tokens. |
| Extortion Amount & Tactics | 0.15 BTC (~3,500 – 4,000 USD rising with bitcoin price). Threatens data auction on dark-pwr[.]press forum. |
| Double-Extortion | 2–3 GB of sensitive files exfiltrated via rclone copy to Mega.io accounts before encryption. |
| Unique Artefacts | Writes水印 into encrypted blobs (00 00 00 44 41 52 4B 50 4F 57 45 52)—useful for Yara hunt rules. |
| Notable Victims & Geos | Mid-size manufacturers in GER/USA; ransom notes localized in EN, DE, ES. |
| Yara Rule | rule dark_power_sig { strings: $mz = "MZ" $magic = { 00 44 41 52 4B 50 4F 57 45 52 } condition: $mz at 0 and $magic } |

Final Advice:
Treat every .dark_power incident as a data-breach. Follow forensic triage procedures, notify the relevant authorities, and never rely solely on ransom payment as a recovery path.

dark_power

Comprehensive Guide to dark_power Ransomware (.dark_power Extension)