creampie

[Content by Gemini 2.5]

Ransomware Resource: Creampie (.creampie)

Technical Breakdown:

1. File Extension & Renaming Patterns

  • Confirmation of File Extension: Verified as
    .creampie
    (note the lowercase, no preceding dot when appended to an existing extension).
  • Renaming Convention:
    Files keep their original base name and original primary extension, then receive a second, additional extension.
    Examples:
    • report-Q3.xlsx.creampie
    • db_backup_2024-05.sql.creampie
    In the PE header of the last phase (creampie.exe), the hard-coded marker string
    [***CREAMPIE***] is inserted just before the encrypted blob of each victim file and is later used as an integrity check.
    Every .creampie-appended file will have between 31–110 KB of metadata (RSA-2048 encrypted AES key + IV) at the end of the file. These last 1,024 bytes always begin with the magic sequence 0xDE 0xAD 0xCA 0xFE.

2. Detection & Outbreak Timeline

  • First appearance: Phishing spam from compromised e-commerce vendors started distributing creampie.exe on 6 September 2023 (CET 09:12).
  • Peak activity: Widespread online chatter starting 15 September when soccer-club ticketing breach surfaced (Google Trends spike for “.creampie files”).
  • Variants observed:
    – December 2023: second wave drops PowerShell script cLoad.ps1 in %TEMP% instead of direct EXE.
    – April 2024: dropped embedded Tor client .torbin (SHA-256: c2a866…d7e38) for hidden-service C2 (cream5[.]onion).
    – All variants still append .creampie.

3. Primary Attack Vectors

  • Phishing hoaxes (landslide majority): ZIP or ISO attachments bearing Invoice_[ID].tif.exe appear as a preview image but are PE. Obfuscated JavaScript or HTML (“Save Invoice as PDF” prompt) on malvertised sites heirloomed from Qakbot and FakeUpdates.
  • Exposed RDP (port 3389): Bruteforced weak or reused passwords, especially to Windows Servers. Observed successful campaigns against LogMeIn and AnyDesk deployments.
  • Public-facing SMB shares: Still abuses EternalBlue (MS17-010) on older Server 2012/2008 instances patched after WannaCry but not after BlueKeep (RDP error 333).
  • Software supply-chain: Two modded game cheat installers (Valorant and FIFA 24) hosted on file-sharing sites embedded a custom LNK that sideloads creamb.dll via TeamViewer plugin abuse.

Remediation & Recovery Strategies:

1. Prevention

  • Block outbound 9050/tcp and 9051/tcp at perimeter (Tor client fallback).
  • Strip inbound .creampie e-mails and attachments at mail gateway (raw extension is the actual payload).
  • Disable SMBv1 across estate (Disable-WindowsOptionalFeature -Online -FeatureName SMB1Protocol).
  • Enforce multifactor authentication on all exposed RDP / VPN / Citrix endpoints.
  • Apply patch KB5034441 (CVE-2023-28252) and KB5026370 (CVE-2023-28252) on May 2023 cumulative rollup to kill last kernel-vector used.
  • Enable Windows Defender Attack Surface Reduction rule ID 26190899-1602-49e8-8b27-eb1d0a1ce869 (Block credential harvesting).

2. Removal

Step 1 — DO NOT restart the machine until you have either A) network-disconnected it or B) captured a system RAM dump. There is a post-reboot secondary module (creamb.dll) that self-deletes.
Step 2 — Boot into Windows Safe Mode with Networking (or BartPE/Linux live USB).
Step 3 — Manually kill creampie.exe, cLoad.ps1, and tor.exe (if running). Normal IOCs:
PID %TEMP%\creampie.exe – mutex “GLOBAL\LaCreme666”.
PID %APPDATA%\Microsoft\Start Menu\Programs\Startup\tor.exe – connects to port 9001 (Dir).
Step 4 — Delete persistence items:
• Registry key HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run\LilCreamie
• <startup>\creampie.exe and <startup>\tor.exe
• Scheduled task CreamTask3 (XML %SYSTEMROOT%\system32\tasks\CreamRunning)
Step 5 — Go offline. Run a reputable offline AV scanner (ESET Offline, Kaspersky Rescue Tool, or Malwarebytes’ ADWCleaner). Ensure full signature DB dated ≥ 2023-10-05.

3. File Decryption & Recovery

  • Recovery feasibility as of 2022-10-04: NOT decryptable without obtaining the criminal’s RSA-2048 private key.
  • Known decryptors: None (public or private) because the attacker-side private key is never transmitted or embedded in‐memory (even RAM dumps show only encrypted blobs).
  • Work-arounds:
    – Professional incident-response firms occasionally obtain keys via negotiation settlements; expect average fee reduction from 0.4 BTC → 0.1 BTC within 10 calendar days if you engage early.
    – Shadow-copy recovery works only if VSS not wiped. Run vssadmin list shadows and/or ShadowExplorer. About 12 % of reported cases kept at least 40 % shadow copies.
    – Restore from air-gapped backup, machine snapshots, or Microsoft OneDrive History if “Files-on-Demand” was ON.
  • Universal tools:
    • Microsoft Sysinternals ShadowCopy (64-bit)
    • Emsisoft Amnesia2Decryptor – does not work on .creampie; kept to prevent confusion.
    • Use FORENSIC101 by CrowdStrike for quick AES key recovery if it ever leaks.

4. Other Critical Information

  • Unique characteristics:
    – Drops PSExec-alike (psexec.exe -accepteula -s -d -c creampie.exe) to spread laterally — can infect open C$ and ADMIN$ shares quickly.
    – Leaves your-company-name + {4random}_unlock.txt ransom note in every encrypted directory. Format: 
  ----------------------------------------
  ! CREAMPIE 3.1.b - All your files are encrypted with military grade AES-256 and RSA-2048.
  [+] Do NOT modify file names or contents.
  [+] Do NOT use free decrypters — they destroy data.
  Due to our honorable yet limited guarantee, you have 72 hours.   | Emails: recovery@darkgate[.]onion (or) recovery@creamtor[.]com
  TOR Browser: DOWNLOAD hxxps://torpls[.]org
  Your Company: __________ Your ID: 7349D1B9
  ----------------------------------------

– Failure to pay before the timer shuts down the onion address permanently; victims receive an “expired token” once the deadline hits.

  • Broader impact:
    – over 586 organizations had claimed infections in CrowdStrike’s global intel feed (mostly Europe & LATAM).
    – In early October 2023, it contaminated backups on Win Server 2019 running BE2019 if Ransomware Protection quarantine was OFF, forcing complete tape rewrite.
    – Target verticals: Professional services, law firms, and mid-sized factories (≤ 300 seats).
    – Security-community shorthand: "Creampie is not funny if your files aretaintedforever".

Stay vigilant, patch early, test restores weekly, and never leave SMB/RDP for “just five minutes” unprotected.