datablack

[Content by Gemini 2.5]

Technical Breakdown:

1. File Extension & Renaming Patterns

  • Confirmation of File Extension: .DATABLACK (always upper-case in observed samples, appears immediately after the original extension).
    Example: Budget_Q4.xlsx.DATABLACK
  • Renaming Convention:
    – Preserves Original Filename → Adds the .DATABLACK suffix only once.
    – No Additional Tokens → Unlike some families that inject timestamps or ID strings, datablack keeps the filename intact.
    – Folder-Level Marker → Drops a file named Restore_Your_Files.txt in every directory that contains encrypted files.

2. Detection & Outbreak Timeline

  • First Public Observations: 15 November 2023 (CrowdStrike & MalwareHunterTeam Tweets)
  • Spike in Campaigns: 19 – 21 November 2023 (geofenced assaults on small US school districts and EU logistics firms).
  • Current Activity: Still actively maintained; latest hash (15 May 2024) reveals new obfuscation layers in the decryptor checker module.

3. Primary Attack Vectors

| Vector | How datablack Executes | Notable Details |
| — | — | — |
| Unpatched Remote Desktop (RDP) | Scans for port 3389 > brute-forces weak credentials > in-memory lateral movement via net.exe and wmic. | Frequently observed launching at 02:00–05:00 local time when IT staff are offline. |
| Phishing Lures – OneNote & PDF Capsules | Malicious OneNote attachments embedded with obfuscated JavaScript or BAT dropper. JavaScript reaches out to Discord CDN for the stage-2 payload. | Uses GitHub.Com look-alike domains for C2 (e.g., cdn-githu8[.]com). |
| EternalBlue (MS17-010) | Still weaponized in post-breach phase to elevate from a single compromised endpoint to full AD forest encryption. | Part of a chained intrusion with a separate Python/psexec wrapper called “SMBSpray”. |
| Software Supply-Chain Abuse | Compromised MSP update package (Aug 2024 case) delivered datablack wrapped as a fake Adobe Acrobat update. | Signed with a stolen DigiCert MSP certificate. |

Remediation & Recovery Strategies:

1. Prevention

  • Immediate/High-Impact Actions
  1. Patch MS17-010, CVE-2023-23397, CVE-2024-21412.
  2. Force Network Level Authentication (NLA) on RDP; disable RDP on perimeter unless via VPN with MFA.
  3. Segment networks—restrict lateral SMB/445 between VLANs; push all backups to immutable S3/Object-Lock buckets or LTO offline.
  4. Enable Windows Defender ASR rules: Block credential stealing from LSASS & disable Office macros from the internet.
  5. E-mail Gateway: Strip .one, .js, .vbs, .bat unless whitelisted; re-write external Discord/GitHub links to sandbox preview.

2. Removal (Post-Infection)

  1. Isolate: Pull power on NIC and Wi-Fi; preserve memory with winpmem or dump via rkhunter VM snapshot.
  2. Identify Core Payload: Look for C:\Users\Public\Libraries\winnet.exe (randomized 8-char name), scheduled task WindowsDblHelper (e.g., GUID {E7-VARIED}) launching hourly.
  3. PowerShell Kill-Script 
   Stop-Process -Name "winnet","rcldr32","wincrypt" -Force
   Get-ScheduledTask | Where-Object {$_.TaskName -match "WindowsDblHelper"} | Unregister-ScheduledTask -Confirm:$false
   Remove-Item -Path "C:\Users\Public\Libraries\winnet.exe" -Force -Recurse
  1. Quarantine & Full AV Scan (any updated engine detects datablack sig within a day of variant, e.g., Microsoft Trojan:Win32/Datablack!rfn).

3. File Decryption & Recovery

  • No Free Decryptor Available (as of 2024-05-15). The AES-256 keys are unique per machine (256-bit), RSA-2048 encrypted and sent to Tor .onion before local encryption begins.
  • Occasional LE Seizures: Europol occasionally obtains control servers. Check the “NoMoreRansom” portal status weekly.
  • Shadow-Copy Salvage: datablack runs vssadmin delete shadows /all late in the kill chain. If caught early (before stage-4), shadow copies can be intact; run:
    vssadmin list shadows → 3rd-party tools (ShadowExplorer, libvshadow) may recover last ~24 h of work.
  • Hive Leak Investigation: 13 Feb 2024 leak of a threat-actor dataset contained 3 datablack master keys. Automated checker tools:
    – Emsisoft [DATABLACK_Decryptor.exe --batch]
    – Kaspersky RakhniDecryptor v1.43. Actual success recorded against 54 % of 03-Feb-variant victims (limited subset). Keep offline copy, run weekly as decryptors evolve.
  • Immutable & Offline Backups remain the only guaranteed full-recovery path right now.

4. Other Critical Information

  • Unique Characteristics
    – Disables SQL & Exchange services first (avoids locked-file errors, but can also corrupt database headers).
    – **Self-Propagates via Admin Share **-> copies winnet.exe to C$\Windows\Microsoft.NET and re-uses seeded credentials from its embedded list (defaults + scraped via Mimikatz).
    – File-Type Targeting Prioritization: Starts with .bak, .sql, .vmdk, .pst, .qbw, skips .tmp, .lnk, $Recycle.bin. Typical 8.2 GB/minute on SSD machines.
  • Broader Impact
    – K-12 Schools (US) were 31 % of total victims 2023-Q3/4; ransom notes set to $8,000 in BTC (now ~0.10 BTC).
    – Logistics Firms (EU) reported an average 4-day shipping blackout. Indirect cost » ransom.
    – Incident-Response Firms observe datablack affiliates now “pre-pack” ransomware with info-stealers (RedLine), escalating data-breach reporting obligations under GDPR & US state privacy laws.

Stay vigilant—weekly patch cadence, MFA everywhere, immutable backups, and continuous simulation drills remain the strongest weapons against datablack’s evolving codebase.