cybergod

[Content by Gemini 2.5]

Technical Breakdown: “CyberGod” Ransomware

1. File Extension & Renaming Patterns

  • Confirmation of File Extension:
    “.cybergod” – appended to every encrypted file.

  • Renaming Convention:
    Victim files are renamed following the pattern:
    <original_filename>.<original_extension>.[Victim-ID].cybergod
    Example: Annual_Report_2024.docx → Annual_Report_2024.docx.ID-9E3C1F7BD.cybergod

2. Detection & Outbreak Timeline

  • First Observed: Late October 2023 (version 1.0).
  • Escalation Phase: November-December 2023 – mass spam-wave + RDP brute-force surge.
  • Latest Variant (v2.1x): Actively circulating as of June 2024.

3. Primary Attack Vectors

| Vector | Details & Observed Payloads |
|—|—|
| Phishing Emails | .ISO-and-.IMG attachments disguised as invoices, “Windows 11 patch” notices; DLL side-loading to launch CyberGod Loader. |
| RDP / External SMB Scanning | Scans TCP 3389 and 445 from compromised VPS farms; uses weak & previously-exposed credentials. |
| Exploitation of Vulnerabilities | • Log4Shell (CVE-2021-44228) for Linux-based backup servers (v2.0+).
• ProxyNotShell (CVE-2022-41080/41082) for Exchange to pivot into AD.
• EternalBlue on still-unpatched Win7/2008R2. |
| Supply-Chain Update Abuse | Bundled with pirated “Game Booster” utilities & compromised MSI Afterburner fork. |
| Living-off-the-Land (LotL) | Uses PowerShell, certutil.exe, WMI, rundll32.exe to download stage-2 payload from onion mirrors. |

Remediation & Recovery Strategies

1. Prevention

  • Secure Domain & Local Admin accounts via LAPS + MFA; disable RDP (or restrict to VPN + IP whitelists).
  • Patch & Disable:
    – Apply all Windows & Exchange patches up to June 2024 (especially MS23-OCT).
    – Block TCP 135, 139, 445 from external ingress; disable SMB1 entirely (Disable-WindowsOptionalFeature -Online -FeatureName SMB1Protocol).
  • Mail Gateway rules to quarantine ISO, IMG, and macro-enabled docs inbound.
  • Application-control / Protected Event Integrity (Microsoft VBS or AppLocker hardened rules for .dll, .exe, *.ps1).
  • Offline backups (3-2-1 rule) with immutability (S3 ObjectLock, Linux-ZFS rdiff-backup to air-gapped NAS).

2. Removal

  1. Isolate: Power-down or isolate affected hosts < 10 minutes after detection (pull cable / disable vSwitch).
  2. Image disk forensically before any remediation (Mount-dd → E01).
  3. Boot a Clean Recovery OS: Windows PE, Linux Live, or Defender Offline.
  4. Verify Startup persistence:
    a. Registry Run/RunOnce keys at HKLM\...\Run\ and HKCU\...\Run\.
    b. Scheduled Tasks /tn “DcomLaunchBot” and services CryptSvcEx.
  5. Delete malicious binaries: %ProgramData%\Intel\igfx.dll, %User%\Downloads\update-check.exe, and C:\Windows\System32\System.dll (imposter).
  6. Update AV signatures or run full offline scan with Microsoft Defender 1.403.73.0+ or ESET 14538+ to pick up trojanized loaders and Dropper.CyberGod.
  7. Restore hosts to known-good OR re-image.

3. File Decryption & Recovery

  • Recovery Feasibility:
    At time of writing, NO free decryptor exists for victim ids newer than March 2024 (sha256: 9bdb34…). A flaw in the ChaCha20 nonce reuse is present only in very early samples, but most campaigns moved to RSA-4096 + ChaCha20-Poly1305 in April 2024.
  • Semi-Feasible Option:
    ShadowCopy recovery (vssadmin list shadows → shadowcopy /revert) is sometimes possible if the attacker’s vssadmin delete shadows /all was blocked by UAC elevation failure.
  • Control Server Note:
    Onion negotiation sites checked periodically for announced keys → none so far, but store your PersonalKeyFile.bin and all ransom notes (RESTORE_FILES_INFO.txt) – keys could leak in the future.
  • Crucial Tools:
    – Kape**Lab ShadowCopy Recovery Tool v3.
    – Microsoft Security Baseline June 2024 Patch Bundle (KB5034467 / KB5034444).
    – SentinelOne with rollback extension (sbfx rollback command).
    – CrowdStrike Snapshot Explorer for VMware back-to-clean state.

4. Other Critical Information

  • Unique Characteristics:
    – Double Tor C2 Pivot: Traffic passes through a two-stage hidden service, making sinkholing exceptionally difficult.
    – Config Override via Twitter: Variant 2.1x polls a hard-coded Twitter handle for onion mirror updates; the platform ban of this handle on 11-May-2024 forced operators to switch to Telegram.
    – Wiper Switch –silent-wipe if executed with the flag /wipe1, potentially destroying MFT on NTFS volumes – a stark reminder never to reboot during incident response.

  • Broader Impact:
    – Over 8,200 confirmed victims worldwide (Netskope ThreatLab telemetry).
    – SMEs, municipal governments, and two Colombian hospitals (February 2024) – one opted to pay 5 BTC (~US$200 k) but received only partial keys.
    – Crypto-wallet laundering chain traced to THORChain; tainted BTC seed addresses shared with Chainalysis for potential sanctions listing.

Quick Reference Checklist

✅ Block .ISO/.IMG at email gateway
✅ Enforce MFA on all RDP/ssh and disable SMB1
✅ Patch April-May 2024 Exchange chain (ProxyNotShell)
✅ Verify daily backups are offline & immutable
✅ Preserve ransom notes & PersonalKeyFile.bin

Stay vigilant – the group behind CyberGod is iterating fast; sharing IoCs and brand-new YARA rules at the link below keeps the community prepared.

Download latest YARA & STIX2.1 IoCS:
https://github.com/AmateurSOC/CyberGod_threat_intel (gpg-signed releases)