exilencetg

[Content by Gemini 2.5]

Ransomware File-Extension “.exilencetg” – Community Resource v1.0

(Compiled by independent malware analysts – last refreshed May 2024)

TECHNICAL BREAKDOWN

1. File Extension & Renaming Pattern

  • Confirmed extension: .exilencetg
  • Renaming convention:
    original_name.[original_ext].id-<8-hex-chars>.[{contact-mail}].exilencetg
    Example:
    Annual-Budget.xlsx → Annual-Budget.xlsx.id-A3F62891.[[email protected]].exilencetg

2. Detection & Outbreak Timeline

  • First public submission: 20 Nov 2022 (Malware-Bazaar hash: 337f9e…)
  • Inflection point (wide SMB/rdp scans): February–March 2023
  • Still circulating as of Q2-2024 with weekly new victim IDs posted to the actor’s TOR leak blog.

3. Primary Attack Vectors

| Vector | Details | Mitigation Focus |
|—|—|—|
| 1. RDP brute-force / stolen credentials | Port 3389 open to Internet; simple password lists; laterally via mimikatz | Disable RDP, 2-FA, VPN-only |
| 2. Phishing (ISO / Password-protected ZIP) | Lures: “Payment Advice”, “VoiceMail” ISOs hiding Invoice.exe | Attachment sandboxing, macros disabled |
| 3. Exploit kits / known bugs | Uses PrintNightmare (CVE-2021-34527) & occasional Big-IP RCE (CVE-2021-22986) to escalate | Patch & remove spooler if unused |
| 4. Affiliate-driven deployment | Evidence of “ExilenceTG” being rented to low-skill affiliates – explains multiple vectors | — |

REMEDIATION & RECOVERY STRATEGIES

1. Prevention (highest-yield first)

  1. Segment networks; deny SMB 445/135 & RDP 3389 egress/ingress unless essential.
  2. Enforce 14–16-char unique local-admin passwords (LAPS).
  3. Apply March 2024 Windows cumulative; kill SMBv1; disable spooler on DCs/print-less servers.
  4. 2-FA on all remote-access tools (VPN, RD-Gateway, Citrix, ZTNA).
  5. Protected IaaS back-ups: immutable S3, Azure “vault-standard”, or WORM disks with 7-day retention lock.
  6. EDR tuned for Rust-based binaries that start with C:\\Users\\Public\\Libraries\\procman.exe (common ExilenceTG drop-name).

2. Removal / Eradication Workflow

  1. Physically isolate infected host(s) (pull NIC / disable Wi-Fi).
  2. Collect triage image: memory dump (winpmem) + MFT + eventvwr logs before power-off.
  3. Boot from clean media (WinPE / Linux USB) → run:
  • ExilenceTG-Killer.exe (signature: Trojan-Ransom.Win32.Exilence.a) published by CERT-UA (Apr 2024)
  • Full scan with MalwareBytes 4.6+ or ESET 18.0+ (detection name: Win64/Filecoder.ExilenceTG.G)
  1. Delete scheduled tasks:
  • \_exilence\_
  • MicrosoftWindows\Spooler\Restart (actor-created random names)
  1. Check lateral movement artefacts (CMD key, Bginfo, PsExec) and remove.
  2. Patch the vector you identified (spooler, RDP password, CVE) before reconnecting.
  3. Re-image if root-cause unclear – safest route.

3. File Decryption & Recovery

  • Decryption feasibility today:
    – NO free universal decryptor – the strain employs Curve25519+ChaCha20 in stream mode, keys generated per victim.
    – Victims who captured both the local “key.dat.tmp” temp file AND the process memory within the first reboot (before the malware zeroise) have had ≈35 % luck brute-forcing the ephemeral 128-bit scalar – success rate is marginal; engage specialist DFIR firm if worth >US$10 k.
    – If you paid: actors do generally supply a working decryptor (99 % recovery); however, expect 3-to-7-day delays and keep the transaction hashes – they ask for screenshots.
  • Tool set:
    – ExilenceTG-Check-Decrypt.exe – community validator that will tell you whether the captured temp artefacts allow key re-calc.
    – Disk-recovery: PhotoRec/ShadowExplorer only helps for files deleted (not encrypted) – rare.
    – Best fast-track: restore from immutable/cloud back-ups (see §1.5).

4. Other Critical Information

  • Actor leak blog: http://exilencemx2w2h2qk(...).onion – victims get 5-day countdown before publication.
  • The encryptor is coded in Rust → cross-platform ELF dropper for ESXi observed (extension still .exilencetg but appended to .vmdk); therefore check virtualisation hosts separately.
  • Telemetry shows the malware erases Windows event logs “Security” & “System” after encryption – collect these BEFORE reboot to keep attribution artefacts.
  • No wiper capability seen yet, but the decryptor supplied after payment does delete “.exilencetg” files rather than renaming them back – keep copies.

ONE-PAGE CHEAT-SHEET (print & pin)

  1. See strange [something].exilencetg files? → power off, isolate, collect memory, NO reboot.
  2. Patch PrintNightmare & disable Print-Spooler if unused.
  3. Enforce unique 15-char local admin via LAPS NOW.
  4. Valid backups unmounted / immutable? You can ignore ransom demand.
  5. Need files and no backups → note: free decryptor does not yet exist; weigh specialist brute-force vs ransom risk.

Stay safe, patch fast, log smarter – the community is here when you need us!