Cyber Threat Report: 'Threat Assessment: EKANS Ransomware'

This threat assessment from researchers at Palo Alto's Unit 42 covers the EKANS ransomware. According to the report, EKANS was first observed in January 2020 and has targeted multiple industries in the U.S and Europe,. The assessment states that EKANS is written in Golang and includes a "kill list" for antivirus and ICS (Industrial Control System) processes. The ransomware also deletes shadow copies of files to prevent restoration. The researchers state that spear-phishing is the primary initial access vector.

Restrict Web-Based Content

Restrict use of certain websites, block downloads/attachments, block Javascript, restrict browser extensions, etc.

Network Intrusion Prevention

Use intrusion detection signatures to block traffic at network boundaries.

Antivirus/Antimalware

Use signatures or heuristics to detect malicious software.

User Training

Train users to be aware of access or manipulation attempts by an adversary to reduce the risk of successful spearphishing, social engineering, and other techniques that involve user interaction.

Filter Network Traffic

Use network appliances to filter ingress or egress traffic and perform protocol-based filtering. Configure software on endpoints to filter network traffic.

Network Segmentation

Architect sections of the network to isolate critical systems, functions, or resources. Use physical and logical segmentation to prevent access to potentially sensitive systems and information. Use a DMZ to contain any internet-facing services...

Exploit Protection

Use capabilities to detect and block conditions that may lead to or be indicative of a software exploit occurring.

Restrict File and Directory Permissions

Restrict access by setting directory and file permissions that are not specific to users or privileged accounts.

Execution Prevention

Block execution of code on a system through application control, and/or script blocking.

Remote Data Storage

Use remote security log and sensitive file storage where access can be controlled better to prevent exposure of intrusion detection log data or sensitive information.

Encrypt Sensitive Information

Protect sensitive information with strong encryption.

Privileged Account Management

Manage the creation, modification, use, and permissions associated to privileged accounts, including SYSTEM and root.

Audit

Perform audits or scans of systems, permissions, insecure software, insecure configurations, etc. to identify potential weaknesses.

User Account Management

Manage the creation, modification, use, and permissions associated to user accounts.

Operating System Configuration

Make configuration changes related to the operating system or a common feature of the operating system that result in system hardening against techniques.

Behavior Prevention on Endpoint

Use capabilities to prevent suspicious behavior patterns from occurring on endpoint systems. This could include suspicious process, file, API call, etc. behavior.

Data Backup

Take and store data backups from end user systems and critical servers. Ensure backup and storage systems are hardened and kept separate from the corporate network to prevent compromise.

Boot Integrity

Use secure methods to boot a system and verify the integrity of the operating system and loading mechanisms.

Data Loss Prevention

Use a data loss prevention (DLP) strategy to categorize sensitive data, identify data formats indicative of personal identifiable information (PII), and restrict exfiltration of sensitive data.(Citation: PurpleSec Data Loss Prevention)