Technical Breakdown: 1. File Extension & Renaming Patterns Confirmation of File Extension: Files encrypted by this ransomware receive the fixed suffix .aeskeygen_assist appended to EACH file’s original name (full filename dot extension plus the new suffix). Example: thesis_v5.docx.aes_key_gen_assist, customer_db.sql.aes_key_gen_assist. Renaming Convention: After encryption the payload overwrites the original file and writes the renamed, encrypted object…

Aes256-06 Ransomware Resource Contributed by A. Specter, Senior Threat-Research Lead (Ransomware & Extortion Division) Technical Breakdown 1. File Extension & Renaming Patterns Confirmation of File Extension: Every file touched by this strain keeps its original name and suffixes exactly .aes256-06 (lower case, hyphenated). Example: Quarterly_Report.xlsx becomes Quarterly_Report.xlsx.aes256-06 Renaming Convention: The original path remains intact (files…

Technical Breakdown: 1. File Extension & Renaming Patterns Confirmation of File Extension: The AES-256 ransomware does NOT append an extra extension. Example: Report.docx remains Report.docx after encryption, making visual identification difficult. Renaming Convention: Files are renamed in place; no suffix, prefix, or random ID is added. Instead the first 512 bytes of every file are…

aes128ctr Ransomware – Community Defense & Recovery Guide Last revised: 2024-06-22 Threat family: Conti / Hive / BlackCat (AlphV) spin-off cluster – internal build tag “AES128CTR” Technical Breakdown 1. File Extension & Renaming Patterns Exact Extension Added to Files: .aes128ctr (Second fallback variant seen late 2023 occasionally drops .aes128ctr.spin, but the majority of public samples…

Technical Breakdown: 1. File Extension & Renaming Patterns Confirmation of File Extension: .aes.janelle Renaming Convention: Original files are duplicated, AES-encrypted, and renamed to original_name.extension.aes.janelle (the “aes.” prefix is deliberate: it identifies the AES-256 cipher used; “janelle” is the campaign tag). Any nested directory structure is preserved—only file names are appended. Locked folders may receive a…

Technical Breakdown: 1. File Extension & Renaming Patterns Confirmation of File Extension: .aes_ni Renaming Convention: \<originalname\>.\<originalextension\>.aes_ni Example – a file called Quarterly_Report_Q3.xlsx becomes Quarterly_Report_Q3.xlsx.aes_ni. Note: Early variants used .aes-ni (with a dash), but later campaigns standardized on the underscore form .aes_ni. 2. Detection & Outbreak Timeline Approximate Start Date/Period: First publicly observed in late December…

Technical Breakdown 1. File Extension & Renaming Patterns Confirmation of File Extension: Confirmed use of the extension .aes-matrix. Renaming Convention: The ransomware follows the schema <original_filename>.<original_extension>.<email-address>.aes-matrix Example: Budget_Q4_2024.xlsx.[[email protected]].aes-matrix Different campaigns may list [email protected] or newer [email protected] e-mail addresses after the bracket. 2. Detection & Outbreak Timeline First Samples Submitted: Mid-March 2024 on VirusTotal and AnyRun.…

Ransomware Profile: .aes! (Vipera / Dharma Family Variant) Technical Breakdown: 1. File Extension & Renaming Patterns Confirmation of File Extension: .aes! – the exclamation mark (!) is integral to the extension string and appears after the victim’s original file extension (e.g., report.xlsx.aes!). Renaming Convention: After encryption the file is renamed as <original file name>.<original extension>.<unique…

AES Ransomware – Community Threat Summary & Help Guide Technical Breakdown 1. File Extension & Renaming Patterns Confirmation of File Extension: The ransomware appends the literal string .aes after the original file name and its original extension, resulting in files that read: report_2024.xlsx.aes picture.jpg.aes Renaming Convention: The original file name and extension are preserved, not…

📄 Technical Breakdown – “Aeroware Ransomware” 1. File Extension & Renaming Patterns Confirmation of File Extension: .aeroware – e.g., Annual_Budget.xlsx becomes Annual_Budget.xlsx.aeroware Renaming Convention: Files keep their original name and sub-folder path but receive a single, postfix extension. NOTE: in parallel to encrypting, the malware renames volumes through the Windows registry to display the ransom…