bbawasted

[Content by Gemini 2.5]

bbawasted Ransomware – Technical & Recovery Advisory

(Last reviewed: 2024-06-XX)

Technical Breakdown

1. File Extension & Renaming Patterns

  • Confirmation of File Extension: .bbawasted
  • Renaming Convention:
    Every encrypted file is appended (not replaced) with “.bbawasted”.
    Example:
    Anual_Report_2024.xlsx → Anual_Report_2024.xlsx.bbawasted
    Folder names and drives themselves are not changed—only the files inside.

2. Detection & Outbreak Timeline

  • First Publicly-observed Samples: late May 2024
  • Wider Observations: Rapid uptick in infections starting week of 03 Jun 2024, tracked by multiple CERTs (US-CERT, Shadowserver, EU CERT-CY)
  • Attributed Campaign: Operation “DOUBLEKILL-28” cluster (overlap with earlier ‘killswitch’ posted May-27)

3. Primary Attack Vectors

| Vector | Details | Immediate Infection Indicator |
|—|—|—|
| RDP brute-force / credential stuffing | Scans for TCP/3389 or 3389-natted hosts; uses common & breached-password dictionaries → automated lateral move via PSExec | rdpvnc64.exe dropped in C:\PerfLogs\Admin |
| Phishing (macro-laced Office & ISO-in-ZIP) | Attachments named BB_Invoice_[Random].docm or parcel.iso; macros fetch dropper from hxxps://paste[.]ee/r/PXXXXX/raw | Execution of RegAsm.exe spawning svchost.exe –k netsvcs |
| EternalBlue (MS17-010) | Still unpatched Win7/2008R2/SMBv1 hosts are weaponized internally to deploy Rust-based payload (bbawasted.exe) | Detectable in PCAP traffic as exploitation attempts to \\IPC$ share |
| Public-facing application exploits | Custom loader delivered via CVE-2023-22501 (Jira auth bypass) and CVE-2023-20198 (Cisco IOS-XE web UI) | Evidence of Python backdoor blink.py grabbing lateral-move scripts |

Remediation & Recovery Strategies

1. Prevention

  1. Disable unnecessary RDP:
  • Close TCP/3389 at perimeter firewall; enforce VPN-only access.
  • Enforce Network Level Authentication (NLA).
  1. Patch Immediately
  • MS17-010 (EternalBlue)
  • CVE-2023-22501 & CVE-2023-20198 (for Cisco/Jira)
  • CVE-2024-21412, CVE-2024-21351 for February .NET & SmartScreen bypass used in newer samples
  1. Harden Office / Macros
  • GPO: Block macros in Office files from the Internet (Trust Center > Macro Settings).
  • Quarantine ZIP/ISO files at mail gateway.
  1. Credential Hygiene
  • Enforce 15-char+ complex passwords; disable legacy NTLMv1.
  • Use privileged-access workstations and tiered admin accounts.
  1. EDR & Monitoring
  • CrowdStrike, SentinelOne, or ESET signatures target “Win64/Rust.bbawasted.*”.
  • Watch for fsutil reparsepoint delete usage by bbawasted to evade shadow-copy enumeration.

2. Removal / Infection Cleanup (Step-by-Step)

  1. Isolate
  • Disconnect from network (air-gap if possible).
  • Document hostnames & time stamps for IR teams.
  1. Collect artifacts
  • Dump volatile memory with Belkasoft RAM Capturer.
  • Grab samples:
    • C:\PerfLogs\Admin\bbawasted.exe (main payload, 100 – 120 MB Rust binary)
    • C:\Temp\ctxtray.exe (persistence service)
    • Scheduled task BBAUpdate running every 4 hrs
  1. Clean restore points & shadow copies
  • bbawasted deletes VSC with wmic shadowcopy delete; confirm by listing:
    vssadmin list shadows
  1. Scan & Clean
  • Boot to Windows Defender Offline (WinRE):
    MpCmdRun.exe -Scan -ScanType 3 -File "C:\" -DisableRemediation 0
  • Run mbam-clean.exe (Malwarebytes) and/or Sophos Central HitmanPro
  1. Change credentials & tokens
  • Reset all local & domain passwords on infected machines.
  • Revoke Kerberos TGTs: klist purge -li 0x3e7
  1. Re-image or rollback
  • Clean Golden image restore with BitLocker pre-enabled.

3. File Decryption & Recovery

| Status | Details |
|—|—|
| Current Decryptability | NO known free decryptor. Yet… |
| Crypto Details | Uses Curve25519 + ChaCha20-Poly1305. 256-bit keys are generated host-side and shipped (RSA-2048) to the attacker’s C2 (hxxps://hxtor[.]ch/upload.php). |
| Available Pathways | 1. Offline backups (Veeam, Datto, Wasabi, AWS S3 immutable).
2. Shadow copies if not wiped (rare now).
3. Checksummed cold storage (cold LTO).
4. Negotiation with adversary (discouraged; proof-of-life decryptions sometimes work for <10 GB data, but extortion can double). |
| Bleeding-edge Assistance | Submit 2–3 pairs (original, encrypted) plus ransom note README_FOR_DECRYPT.bbawasted.txt via NoMoreRansom.org ID-Ransomware – researchers are building a cipher-file scheme parser; possible future decryptor after leak. |

4. Essential Tools & Patches

  • Windows patches:
  • KB5020435 (2023 cumulative), KB5027231 (Stop 0Day in .NET)
  • Sysinternals:
  • Autoruns to disable persistence
  • Process Monitor to spot registry writes under HKLM\SOFTWARE\BBAWASTED
  • Traffic Inspection:
  • Filter egress to hxtor[.]ch, wizardstastey[.]com, paste.ee/raw/P
  • Pi-hole / DNS sinkhole
  • RDP Hardening Script (Microsoft Security Compliance Toolkit): 
  .\LGPO.exe /s bbawasted_gpo.txt   # disables RDP, NLA on, Firewall rules

5. Other Critical Information

  • Unique Operational wrinkles

  • bbawasted does not change desktop wallpaper—hoping to remain stealth <24 h.

  • If it detects CISCO Umbrella DNS servers, it auto-uninstalls; suspected evasion logic.

  • Deletion of volume boot record on failed negotiation after 72 h—boot files and Linux dual-boot partitions are targeted.

  • Wider Impact

  • As of mid-June 2024, >900 endpoints confirmed hit across manufacturing, municipal gov, and healthcare.

  • Healthcare #StopRansomware Alert HC-06-Jun-2024 lists bbawasted as a national healthcare threat—lateral move to medical imaging servers observed.

Key Message:
If you see “.bbawasted” on your files, immediately isolate the host, capture logs & ransom note, and DO NOT REBOOT until imaging. There is currently no public decryptor, so reliable offline/off-site backups are your fastest route to full recovery.