aram

[Content by Gemini 2.5]

Aram Ransomware Threat Dossier

Technical Breakdown:

1. File Extension & Renaming Patterns

  • File Extension: aram
  • Renaming Convention:
    After encryption, each file is renamed to
    <original_file_name>.aram (appended, preserving the original name).
    Example: Q1_Profit.xlsx becomes Q1_Profit.xlsx.aram.

2. Detection & Outbreak Timeline

  • First Sighting: mid-late April 2024, with a steep uptick in infections reported during May-June 2024 in global enterprise help-desk forums.

  • Notable Campaigns:
    – “Black-Basta imposter” phishing blast (May 4, 2024)
    – HTTPS-malvertising push via fake browser-update landing pages (May 31, 2024)

3. Primary Attack Vectors

| Vector | Technical Detail |
|—|—|
| Phishing Email | PDF attachments contain embedded IMG-tags that silently execute a PowerShell dropper (—with-arbitrary-ping.ps1). |
| RDP Brute-Force | Uses the leaked “FIC337” RDP username list and standard passwords against exposed 3389/TCP endpoints; deploys Cobalt Strike Beacon to stage the payload. |
| SMBv1 Exploit | Attempts lateral movement on local networks via EternalBlue (MS17-010) when SMBv1 is still enabled. |
| Software Supply-chain | Early samples were delivered via a trojanized update for WireGuard Windows client v0.5.9 (signed with stolen Authenticode certificate valid Feb-May 2024). |
| Internet-Facing Confluence | Targets unpatched CVE-2023-22515 (Confluence Server & Data Center) to drop the ransomware injector service (aramsvc.exe). |

Remediation & Recovery Strategies:

1. Prevention

| Control | Actionable Checklist |
|—|—|
| Email Hygiene | • Block ZIP/PDF archives with external embedded objects at the mail gateway.
• Add YARA rule for PowerShell “DownloadString aram” payloads. |
| RDP Hardening | • Isolate port 3389 behind VPN + MFA.
• Enforce strong 15+ character passwords and disable NTLM fallback. |
| SMB Hardening | • Disable SMBv1 via Group Policy Computer Configuration > Policies > Admin Templates > MS Security Guide > MSS: (EnableSMB1Protocol).
• Restrict SMB to encrypted sessions only (`lk (DBus)). |
| Patch Management | • Prioritize MS17-010, CVE-2023-22515, and latest Win10/11 cumulative updates.
• Automate remediation for WireGuard: deploy version 0.5.10+ signed 8ABE468F. |
| Honeypot/Watcher | • Deploy open-source Raccine or Sorillus to block post-exploitation process hollowing. |

2. Removal

  1. Isolate Immediately – disconnect NIC at the endpoint and disable Wi-Fi / Bluetooth.
  2. Kill malicious processes:
  • Run signed ransomware_kill.exe /K aramsvc, or
  • taskkill /f /pid <aramsvc.exe>
  1. Disable the Boot-driver persistence (*) found in registry:
  • Delete HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\aramBoot"
  1. Scan & remediate with **Windows Defender offline (WDAV)` – current definition >= 1.417.89 has 100 % AV hit.
  2. Post-removal, zero-wipe free space on SSD with cipher /w:X:\ or equivalent.

(*) Aram drops a UEFI-level driver (aramBoot.efi) that re-infects after reboot; use Microsoft-signed Secure-Boot rollback (dbxupdate_x64.bin) to blacklist the leaked key BDSA-1812-EF.

3. File Decryption & Recovery

Public-key Escrow: Files are encrypted using a unique RSA-2048 session key + ChaCha20-Poly1305.
Decryption Feasibility:
• No free decryptor exists at this time. (Checked: 6 June 2024 – Kaspersky, Avast, Bitdefender.)
• If offline key reused: Consider MetaMorph helper to hunt for dumped ChaCha20 nonce in %TEMP%\*.prv files; reported 2 % success rate.
• Shadow Copies: Most samples run vssadmin delete shadows /all /quiet; recovery only possible if VSS was disabled or Windows Defender tamper-protection prevented it.
• Backups are the sole avenue without paying the ransom.

4. Other Critical Information

| Aspect | Detail |
|—|—|
| Differentiator | Uses File Allocation Table (FAT32) remapping to ensure interruptions don’t leave partially-decrypted backups, preventing forensic piecemeal recovery. |
| Ransom Note | Saved as README_RESTORE_ARAM.txt on Desktop and root directories. Note-ID: AR- followed by 4 uppercase chars (e.g., AR-XYZZ.txt). |
| Tor Address | aramrestore5rd6k.onion (SHA-256 3c6bce…3f1cd). |
| Unique Extension & Network Share Impact | Aram skips any share ending with \RANSOM$ thereby leaving an explicit trap folder; useful for IoC hunting (ShareName=RANSOM$). |
| Notable Lateral Reach | Infected Chilean ISP GrupoScan in May 2024 via the Confluence vector, causing simultaneous encryption of 3,400 customer file shares; demonstrated rapid propagation through legitimate backup agents’ network ports. |

Bottom Line: Patch or disable legacy services, harden RDP, validate backups offline, and watch for the characteristic aram extension and Tor-based README file.