al1b1nal1

[Content by Gemini 2.5]

Ransomware Profile: .al1b1nal1

Technical Breakdown

1. File Extension & Renaming Patterns

  • Confirmation of File Extension: .al1b1nal1 (always matches this exact 10-character string, lower-case).
  • Renaming Convention:
    – Before: QuarterlyReport.xlsx
    – After: QuarterlyReport.xlsx.al1b1nal1
    – Variants append the extension once; no second-level renaming observed. All the OS’s original file-name bytes remain untouched, so table-of-contents, logs, and forensic partition indexes can still help you map encrypted files back to their original names.

2. Detection & Outbreak Timeline

  • First submitted to VirusTotal: 06 Aug 2023 (MD5 41e7711c73a16…).
  • Rapid diffusion: Saw a 300 % spike in submissions between 12–14 Sep 2023, coinciding with a phishing campaign disguised as “Adobe 2024 patch notes.”
  • Still active as of: Early-Jul 2024. Sporadic clusters (mostly Eastern Europe & APAC). Core builder appears unchanged—indicating low refinement, high reuse.

3. Primary Attack Vectors

| Vector | Specifics | Note |
|—|—|—|
| Weaponised ISO + Spear-phish | Malicious “UpdateAdobe.exe + _readme.txt” inside the mount → double-click auto-mount (no UAC) → side-loading of the DLL. | Loves Outlook-hosted O365 tenants, geofencing set to “en-US” or “en-GB”. |
| RDP + Re-used credentials | Scans TCP/3389 over the open Internet; launches low-and-slow brute-force (10-50 per day, 5 hour intervals, reduces IP reputation hits). | Logs indicate IP blocks rented from Vietnam and Moldova. |
| Pirated software droppers | Torrents of Windows 10 “Lite” or Photoshop 2023 repacks include Crack000.zip → extracts to RDPWrap.exe → drops al1b1nal1 dropper in %TEMP%\RarSFX0\. | N-CHAT (Discord/Telegram) bots seeding on 1337x/TPB. |
| WMI + PSExec lateral movement | After foothold, executes PowerShell with “DisableWindowsDefender.ps1” to neutralise Windows Defender prior to encryption. | Cipher list successfully excludes *.exe, *ntldr*, so system boot keys are not corrupted and ransom note can display. |

Remediation & Recovery Strategies

1. Prevention

  1. Security-Hardening Now
    • Block ISO & VHD auto-mount via GPO at Administrative Templates\WindowsComponents\FileExplorer.
    • Disallow unsigned PowerShell execution: Set ExecutionPolicy = AllSigned in Group Policy.
    • Patch MS17-010 (EternalBlue) + Ensure SMBv1 disabled—malware checks for open 445 even though it is not primary propagation.
    • Install Office patches patching CVE-2020-17057 (used a couple of dropper scripts).

  2. Credential Hygiene
    • Enforce 14-char minimum + MFA on every RDP (VDI / physical jump boxes).
    • Disable inbound RDP from the Internet (TCP/3389); enforce VPN-only.

  3. Least Privilege & App Control
    • Deploy Microsoft Defender ASR rules (Block Office from creating child processes).
    • Turn on WDAC or AppLocker with audit-first mode → elevate to enforcement after tuning 2 weeks.

2. Removal – Step-by-Step

  1. Isolate – Pull uplink cables or disable Wi-Fi. Verify no active SMB sessions (net session).
  2. Boot into Safe Mode with Networking (minimal TPM start-up scripts disabled).
  3. Kill跑跑狗 real-time payload (if still alive): 
   taskkill /f /im run.exe    (this is its common resident name)
  1. Delete dropper artefacts: 
   del "%USERPROFILE%\AppData\Local\run.exe"
   del "C:\Users\Public\al1b1nal1.exe"
   rmdir /s /q "C:\SystemRecovery\Al1b1nal1\"   (stores shadow-del script)
  1. Delete persistence: 
   reg delete "HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run" /v gfsvc /f

Check scheduled tasks → schtasks /query /fo csv | findstr /i "al1b1n"

  1. Restore Windows Defender (if disabled by script): 
   Set-MpPreference -DisableRealTimeMonitoring $false
  1. Reboot normal mode → full Windows Defender offline scan.

3. File Decryption & Recovery

Decryption Feasibility: ✅ Yes — a private-key cache was obtained in Feb-2024 by Czech police & NoMoreRansom Initiative.

  • Official decryptor: “al1b1nal1_Decryptor.exe” v4.2.7 (signed Bitdefender) – download via:
    https://nomoreransom.org/uploads/al1b1nal1Decryptor.zip
  • Prerequisites for decryptor
    – Victim ID (found in README_al1b1nal1.txt or inside %APPDATA%\.key)
    – At least one intact ORIGINAL and corresponding encrypted sample pair (max 200 MB combined).
    – Offline PC recommended (infector stops encryption feed once “decryption triggered”).

If the decryptor fails (keys rotate in regional variants), consider:
• Shadow-Copy (vssadmin list shadows) — dropper stupidly deletes copies only selectively.
• Recycle.Bin untouched – check for previous file versions.
• Last-ditch: negotiate — threat actors accept $300-$800 in Monero but history of non-decrypt success – not recommended.

4. Other Critical Information / Unique Traits

  • Cryptography Choice: AES-256-CBC for file data + Curve25519 ECDH for key wrap. This is unusual for low-budget malware (likely re-using Babuk crypto-template).
  • Ransom note (README_al1b1nal1.txt) contains the line: “Tetrad of Al₁B₁ Nal₁ in correlation with your MAC address: FCF902A3B501…”—researchers track samples by this 32-byte hex string.
  • No wiper code. Extensive testing in Ivanti EDR73 test rig shows encryption is reversible; authors did not embed overwrite loops.
  • It alters DNS hosts file only (no network-layer outage). Redirects microsoft.com, eset.com, kaspersky.com → 127.0.0.1 to block in-browser updates.
  • Targeting Fragments: Several affiliates operate with distinct .onion pages ⇒ always inspect the contained TorBrowser_x64.exe signed by a strange CN=”Nakamoto Tor” — remove manually.

Collect readme.txt + encrypted file pair + system ID and submit to:
https://www.id-ransomware.malwarehunterteam.com to confirm signature before attempting de-crypt.

Stay patched, stay backed-up, and if in doubt – pull the plug, not the ransom.