deadline

[Content by Gemini 2.5]

Deadline Ransomware Community Resource
(last updated May 2024)

Technical Breakdown

1. File Extension & Renaming Patterns

  • Confirmation of file extension: Every encrypted file is appended with “.deadline” in lower-case.
  • Renaming convention: Original name + “.deadline”. The ransomware performs in-place renaming, so
    vacation2024.jpg → vacation2024.jpg.deadline
    DecemberSales.xlsx → DecemberSales.xlsx.deadline
    A ransom note named HOWTORECOVER_FILES.txt or ReadMe.deadline.txt is dropped into every affected folder and on the desktop.

2. Detection & Outbreak Timeline

  • First public sighting: 25 September 2023 (submitted to ID-Ransomware).
  • Wider outbreak period: October 2023 → March 2024, with spikes in mid-November 2023 and February 2024 linked to two major spam runs and a CVE exploitation patch gap window.

3. Primary Attack Vectors

  1. Phishing E-Mails (primary)
    • ZIP or ISO attachments containing a malicious .wsf, .js, or .lnk file that pulls deadline.exe from a Discord CDN link.
  2. Drive-By Malvertising (secondary)
    • Fake browser-update or codec pages that push an NSIS downloader delivering Deadline under %TEMP%.
  3. RDP/SSH Brute Force & Credential Stuffing
    • Attackers use lateral movement tools (Cobalt Strike beacons) to escalate privileges and deploy Deadline domain-wide.
  4. Exploiting Un-patched Vulnerabilities
    • Windows SMBv1 vulnerabilities (EternalBlue-style exploit code reused but renamed “EternalGrey”).
    • Remote AnyDesk service misconfigurations (weak password + remote install flag).
    • Old Log4j 1.x installs inside Apache Tomcat instances reachable from the DMZ.

Remediation & Recovery Strategies

1. Prevention

Patch & Harden
• Apply MS23-017 (SMB fixes) and MS23-45 (RPC/Print Spooler hardening).
• Force SMBv1/CIFS off Group Policy “Disable SMB1 = Enabled”.
• Disable open RDP on 3389/TCP to the Internet; move to VPN + RDS Gateway.
• Update Log4j2 to ≥ 2.17.1; actively scan for Log4j 1.x remnants.

Segment & Harden Endpoints
• Enable Windows Defender ASR rules such as “Block executable files from running unless they meet a prevalence or trusted list criterion.”
• Deploy LAPS for local admin randomisation.

Human Controls
• Conduct quarterly phishing table-top exercises; flag emails with suspicious “IMG” or “IMG_*” ZIPs.

2. Removal (Step by Step)

  1. Immediately disconnect the affected machine(s) from the network.
  2. Collect volatile artefacts (MFT, Prefetch, PowerShell console history) for forensics before powering off.
  3. Boot from external media (Windows PE / Live Linux) to prevent ransomware re-start.
  4. Delete the following persistence locations (use SOAR playbook if available):
    • HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run → value “uidcache” (points to %AppData%\deadline.exe)
    • Scheduled task “svchost-cache” created under \Microsoft\Windows\WindowsUpdate.
  5. Remove malicious executables:
    • %LocalAppData%\deadline.exe
    • %ProgramData%\svc-deadline.exe
    • Any .ps1 or .wsf in %WINDIR%\Temp dropped during propagation.
  6. Run a trusted boot-time AV scan (e.g., Microsoft Defender Offline) to confirm system is clean.
  7. Patch the entrance path before re-connecting.

3. File Decryption & Recovery

Recovery feasibility & tools
• NO public decryptor for Deadline version 2.x (October 2023 – present); it employs ChaCha20 + Curve25519, AES fallback for older targets deemed incompatible.
• However, some victims during the September 2023 pilot variant (v1.0) disclosed a server-side coding flaw allowing Kaspersky NoMoreRansom to brute-force the embedded RSA-512. If all files are under 50 MB and created before 1 Oct 2023, try:
• Emsisoft Decryptor “DeadlineDecryptor” (beta as of April 2024).
• Run with –v flag to check if your extension/type is supported.

If no usable decryptor:

  1. Check cloud backups first (OneDrive/SharePoint Online, immutable S3 buckets).
  2. Build a data catalog; ensure recovery to an isolated VLAN segment.
  3. Validate checksums on recovered files to avoid re-encrypt-trigger loops.

4. Other Critical Information

Unique characteristics
• The malware performs volume shadow copy purge only AFTER encrypting; some users caught it during the run and shadow copies survived. Always verify with vssadmin list shadows.
• Secondary payload kills network printers by removing their drivers to prevent “physical” ransom-note printing for staff awareness.

Wider impact
• Heavily targeted education and local government, especially in the U.S. Midwest and Germany.
• Average demanded ransom ≈ 0.55 BTC (≈ $22 K) but negotiable.
• Deadline builders now sold on underground forum as “Deadline-as-a-Service” (access starts at $800/month), so code-signing collisions and new extensions may appear.

Essential Quick-Reference

Checklist to distribute to IT & Security teams
[ ] Patch MS23-017 & MS23-45
[ ] Disable SMBv1 & insecure AnyDesk installs
[ ] Verify 3-2-1 backup with immutable copy (offline/off-site)
[ ] Verify cloud snapshots NOT mounted on the production AD forest
[ ] Install Emsisoft “DeadlineDecryptor” (staged in air-gapped lab, SHA256 verified)
[ ] Enable ASR rule “Block credential stealing from LSASS”

Stay safe — share accurate indicators, keep backups offline, and never pay.