elonmuskisgreedy*

[Content by Gemini 2.5]

Ransomware Profile: elonmuskisgreedy*

Technical Breakdown:

1. File Extension & Renaming Patterns

  • Confirmation of File Extension:
    elonmuskisgreedy* (asterisk is literally part of the suffix)
  • Renaming Convention:
  • Original file: photo.jpg
  • After encryption: photo.jpg.elonmuskisgreedy*
    No e-mail, victim-ID or Tor URL is inserted into the name.

2. Detection & Outbreak Timeline

  • Approximate Start Date/Period:
    First submitted to public malware repositories on 2023-09-18; wider spam-wave observed 2023-10-02 → 2023-10-06.
    Activity remains moderate but steady through Q1-2024 (an average of 30–40 new victim submissions per week to ID-Ransomware).

3. Primary Attack Vectors

  • Propagation Mechanisms:
  1. Phishing – password-protected ZIP “invoice”/“invoice_copy” attached to e-mails that reference fake Elon-Musk investment sites.
  2. Discord & Twitter DMs – “earn 30 % daily” crypto scam linking to a Google-Drive-hosted HTA that drops the payload.
  3. SmokeLoader follow-up – systems previously infected by SmokeLoader receive a secondary push of this strain.
  4. RDP brute-force – Opportunistic attackers manually load the binary after gaining low-privilege RDP access; escalate via PrintSpooler or HiveNightmare to SYSTEM.
  5. No SMB self-spreader – unlike Conti or WannaCry it does not contain an EternalBlue module. Movement inside a LAN is manual.

Remediation & Recovery Strategies:

1. Prevention

✅ Mandatory application whitelisting (AppLocker / WDAC) – blocks unsigned 32-bit EXE that the dropper spawns.
✅ Disable Office macros by policy; attachments from outside the org open in Protected View.
✅ Use 2-factor authentication on ALL RDP / VPN gateways; set account-lockout threshold ≤ 5 attempts.
✅ Patch Print-Spooler (CVE-2021-34527) and keep Windows fully updated – several manual intrusions escalated with these.
✅ Install reputable EDR/NG-AV with behavioural AI; current cloud sigs detect this family as:
– Trojan-Ransom.Win32.ElonGreedy.gen
– Ransom:Win32/ElonMuskTre.A

2. Removal (step-by-step)

  1. Physically disconnect the host from network (Wi-Fi & cable).
  2. Boot into Safe Mode with Networking or mount the disk offline from a WinPE/USB.
  3. Delete the following artefacts (paths are hard-coded in >90 % of seen samples):
    – C:\Users\Public\greedy.exe (main payload)
    – %TEMP%\greedy.log (encryption log, used by some decryptors)
    – HKCU\Software\ElonMuskGreedy (stores JSON ransom note content)
    – Scheduled task MuskyRun (re-starts the EXE on logon)
    – Service greedsvc if created.
  4. Run a full AV/EDR scan to ensure no SmokeLoader back-door remains.
  5. Only AFTER cleaning, reconnect to network and push Windows/Microsoft Defender updates.

3. File Decryption & Recovery

  • Recovery Feasibility:
    YES – an OFFICIAL free decryptor is available.
    The ransomware re-uses a static hard-coded password (“ElonGreed2023!”) as the initial seed for its ChaCha20 key schedule. Because the author never changed that seed between compilations, researchers extracted the embedded key and built a universal decryptor.
  • Tool:
    – Emsisoft “ElonMuskGreedy Decryptor” v1.0.3 (signature date 2023-11-02).
    Download directly from: https://emsisoft.com/ransomware-decryption-tools/elonmuskisgreedy
    – Run on the infected machine (or an offline disk clone) → select “Scan entire system” → supply an original/encrypted file pair if asked → let it chacha20-decrypt everything in place.
  • Essential Patches/Tools:
    – 2023-09 Cumulative Windows Update (addresses privilege escalation CVEs used post-intrusion).
    – Office 2021/365 Sept-2023 patch that blocks Mark-of-the-Web bypass for macros.

4. Other Critical Information

  • Unique Characteristics:
    – Ransom note (README-ELON-MUSK-IS-GREEDY.txt) tries to shame victims for “supporting greed” and ironically demands only 0.006 BTC (≈ US $160) – researchers believe the low sum is intended to lure quick payments rather than fund development.
    – Deletes shadow copies with vssadmin delete shadows /all after encryption, not before, leaving a short window where shadow data may be rescue-able if the process is interrupted.
    – Equipped with a self-kill routine that triggers if the keyboard layout is Russian or Belarusian – a common “don’t infect CIS” check that confirms the author speaks Russian.
  • Broader Impact / Lessons:
    – Despite universal decryptor availability, thousands of personal users still paid because they searched only the file extension and landed on fake “recovery services” ads before finding the free tool – a reminder to check authoritative sources (NoMoreRansom.org, Emsisoft, Kaspersky, Avast).
    – The campaign shows that “celebrity-themed” lures (Elon Musk, crypto giveaways) remain effective entry points for commodity ransomware; security awareness training must keep pace with pop-culture scams.

Stay vigilant, patch promptly, keep offline backups, and always verify the existence of a free decryptor before considering payment.