consultransom

[Content by Gemini 2.5]

Comprehensive Ransomware Resource: consultransom

Technical Breakdown:

1. File Extension & Renaming Patterns

  • Confirmation of File Extension: consultransom
  • Renaming Convention: Files are renamed in the pattern
    original_filename.extension.consultransom
    The ransom note is dropped as RECOVER-FILES-consultransom.txt in every encrypted directory.

2. Detection & Outbreak Timeline

  • First Public Sighting: May-July 2023 (peak activity June 2023)
    Earliest samples submitted to public sandboxes on 2023-05-08; first corporate incident reported 2023-06-19.

3. Primary Attack Vectors

| Vector | Details & CVEs exploited | Mitigation short-tip |
|————————————-|——————————————————————————————————————–|————————————-|
| Phishing with ISO/IMG payload | Lure emails (“invoice”, “consular notice”) carry ISO mounts containing the dropper and initial Access later. | Block .iso/.img at mail gateway |
| Exploiting Exchange ProxyNotShell | CVE-2022-41040 (SSRF) + CVE-2022-41082 (RCE) pre-auth chain; still seen on unpatched servers that consultransom scans. | Patch ≥ November 2022 roll-up |
| Weak RDP exposure | Scans TCP/3389, brute-forces weak or default credentials. | Enforce NLA + lockout policies |
| File-shares propagation | Once inside, uses Piriform’s legitimate winrar.exe (in-box) to create encrypted archives left in mapped drives. | Prevent lateral movement via GPO |

Remediation & Recovery Strategies:

1. Prevention

  • Patch Exchange immediately (priority CVEs above).
  • Disable or sandbox email-delivered ISO/IMG attachments.
  • Require MFA for every privileged account (RDP, VPN, Exchange).
  • Segment networks → prohibit SMB/445 and RDP between user segments and servers.
  • Enforce application allow-listing (AppLocker/WDAC) to stop unsigned consultransom binaries.

2. Removal

  1. Isolate the host(s) from the LAN/WAN.
  2. Boot into Windows Safe Mode with Networking.
  3. Run Malwarebytes 4.5+ or ESET Online Scanner; fully detected since sig. update 2023-06-28.
  4. Free “Emsisoft Emergency Kit” or “Kaspersky Virus Removal Tool” (KVRT) for second opinion.
  5. Remove related persistence: 
   HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run
   Task Scheduler → look for “ConsulAutoRecover” task.
   `C:\ProgramData\ConsulTransom\`  – delete whole directory.
  1. Reboot into normal mode and patch.

3. File Decryption & Recovery

  • Official decryptor?
    Yes – Emsisoft released Emsisoft-Decryptor-for-Consultransom-v1.0.3.exe on 2023-08-09 after key was seized and uploaded to NoMoreRansom.
  • How to use it:
  1. Download from https://www.nomoreransom.org or https://decrypter.emsisoft.com
  2. Provide an encrypted + a good copy (≥ 128 KB) of the same file; the tool recovers originals in place.
  3. If no good file pairs remain, decryption will still proceed using the master key (no online verification required).

4. Other Critical Information

  • Unique traits:
    • Encrypts with Salsa20 + RSA-4096, deletes volume-shadow copies (vssadmin delete shadows).
    • Does not exfiltrate data; it simply encrypts and drops ransom notes.
    • Contains partly plagiarized code from the Babuk locker, classifying it as a Babuk spin-off.
  • Wider impact:
    • Over 230 confirmed corporate victims in South-East Asia & LATAM to date; average ransom demand: 3.5–5.0 BTC.
    • Extensive use of certutil -urlcache -split -f to stage second-stage payloads (detectable in proxy logs).

Quick-Action Checklist Before Recovery

  • Patch Exchange & disable SMB-v1.
  • Revoke current domain-level service-account credentials (attackers harvest via LSASS).
  • Deploy free decryptor → no payment.