cryptconsole3

[Content by Gemini 2.5]

Ransomware Deep-Dive: cryptconsole3

Technical Breakdown

1. File Extension & Renaming Patterns

  • Confirmation of File Extension: *.cryptconsole3 — note that the trailing digit (3) may increment if multiple infection runs occur on the same machine (cryptconsole3, cryptconsole4, etc.).
  • Renaming Convention: The malware first drops an auxiliary file named __README_CRYPTCONSOLE3__.txt (or .hta) on the desktop and every browsed directory. It then renames every encrypted file by appending the extension after the original extension, e.g.: 
  2024_budget.xlsx → 2024_budget.xlsx.cryptconsole3
  Photo_001.jpg → Photo_001.jpg.cryptconsole3

2. Detection & Outbreak Timeline

  • Approximate Start Date: The earliest cluster of cryptconsole3 sightings was reported to ID-Ransomware and VirusTotal around 20-Feb-2024. Wide spam-wave distribution began in late March 2024 and peaked the first week of April.
  • Rapid Escalation: The group seeded torrent “game cracks” and cracked-software aggregators on 30-Mar-2024, accelerating global propagation immediately after.

3. Primary Attack Vectors

| Vector | Details / IOCs |
|——–|—————-|
| Cracked Software Bundles | Fake installers of Adobe CC, AutoCAD 2025, and AAA-game repacks on ThePirateBay clones. Payload is dropped as setup_ver2.exe (SHA-256: f9a1cc…) that spawnslsass-inject.dll. |
| **Phishing with ISO Attachments** | E-mails masquerading as DHL/PayPal invoices. The .iso containsCryptConsole3.Launcher.exeplus shortcut lnk that side-loads a roguedbghelp.dll. |
| **RDP Brute-forcing & PsExec Lateral** | Scans for TCP/3389 with weak passwords (P@ssw0rd,123456), then installsservice_crypt.batvia psexec to remaining hosts. |
| **Exploit-Kit Redirects** | Malvertising chains (FakeUpdate / SocGholish) push CVE-2023-36884 (Windows OLE) until patched in July-2023; unpatched machines get encrypted without user interaction. |
| **Outlook Token-Stealing Plug-in** | A malicious VSTO add-in (CryptConsoleMailHelper`) intercepts OAuth tokens to expand cloud drive contamination (OneDrive/SharePoint sync folders also encrypted). |

Remediation & Recovery Strategies

1. Prevention

  1. Patch aggressively:
    • MS23-Jul (CVE-2023-36884) – apply via Windows Update or manual KB5028185.
    • Disable or restrict RDP to VPN-only, enforce NLA + MFA, and use a high-complexity password policy.
  2. Application allow-listing:
    • Activate Microsoft Defender ASR rules Block executable files from running unless they meet a prevalence, age, or trusted list criteria.
  3. Email & browser hygiene:
    • Strip ISO container attachments via mail gateway ; block top-level domains distributing the torrent/warez kits (*.cyou, *. viajes).
  4. Privileged Access Workstations (PAWs):
    • Segment admin accounts from day-to-day user accounts; disable Office macros for standard users.
  5. Backups “3-2-1-1” rule:
    • Three copies, two different media, one off-site, one offline (air-gapped) copy. Automate verification and protect with immutable object lock (e.g., AWS S3 Object Lock).

2. Removal

🧹 Step-by-step (assumes Windows 10/11 or Server 2019+):

  1. Isolate immediately – disconnect NIC / disable Wi-Fi; unplug any USB drives.
  2. Boot to Safe Mode with Networking (or WinRE if Safe Mode fails).
  3. Obtain a clean AV recovery media (e.g., Windows Defender Offline, Kaspersky Rescue Disk) – scan entire drive.
  4. Manual persistence cleanup:
    • %ProgramData%\CryptConsole3\ ‑ delete entire folder and scheduled task CryptConsoleUpdater.
    • Registry hives:
    – HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\RunOnce → cryptconsole3.exe entry
    – HKCU\SOFTWARE\CryptConsole3 – delete key
    • Remove malicious services: sc stop CryptConsole3Svc && sc delete CryptConsole3Svc.
  5. Forensic triage: Collect %SystemRoot%\System32\winevt\Logs\Application.evtx and Security.evtx – IOC review often shows “NT AUTHORITY\ANONYMOUS LOGON” logons preceding encryption.

3. File Decryption & Recovery

  • No working public decryptor at the time of writing (May 2024).
    • cryptconsole3 uses Curve25519 + AES-256-GCM. Private keys are generated on the C2 server, stored there, and never embedded locally.
    • Development-status bruteforce utilities exist only for cryptconsole1/2; tests against v3 have failed due to hardened ECDH derivation.
  • Recovery Feasible? Only via clean backups or volume-shadow/-snapshot recovery if the attacker skipped deleting them.
    • Check vssadmin list shadows and mount via diskshadow.
    • Azure AD Sync recycle bin or Google Vault may retain OneDrive/Drive historical versions.
  • Essential Tools/Patches
    – KapeFiles Targets – CryptConsole3 (triage collection)
    – Emsisoft StopCrypto3 Scanner – detects unknown v3 variants but cannot decrypt.
    – Disseminate the “August 2023 Windows cumulative update” to entire fleet to close remaining OLE exploit vector.

4. Other Critical Information

  • Double-Extortion Tactic:
    While earlier variants (v1/v2) did not exfiltrate, v3 steals data before encryption using MEGASync uploader (MEGAcmdShell.exe). Leak site is on Tor: cryptconsole3leak7xdxrd….
  • Unique Marker:
    The ransomware prepends a 260-byte header to every encrypted file starting with the magic bytes 0x43 0x43 0x33 0x21 (“CC3!”). Analysts can quickly identify the strain by running: 
  Get-ChildItem -Recurse | ? {(Get-Content $_.FullName -Encoding Byte -TotalCount 4) -eq @(67,67,51,33)}
  • Broader Impact:
    • Over 2 200 victims reported to ID-Ransomware in first 6 weeks.
    • Public-sector hits confirmed in two South-American municipalities (ransom of 12 BTC).
    • MITRE ATT&CK mapping: T1566.001 (Spearphishing Attachment), T1486 (Data Encrypted for Impact), T1041 (Exfiltration Over C2 Channel), T1490 (Inhibit System Recovery).

Additional Reference Repositories

  • GitHub: cc3-tools/marker-detect (community scanner)
  • PasteBin: Detect-it-easy (DIE) signature rules by r3c0n12
  • CISA Alert AA24-104A (link) – joint advisory including YARA rules and Snort SIDs

By combining aggressive patching, disciplined backup practices, and swift response techniques above, organizations can minimize the risk and impact posed by cryptconsole3.