Philadelphia ransomware

Philadelphia ransomware was released for sale on the dark web marketplace, AlphaBay in late 2016. Since its release, the author has sold the malware 38 times at a price of $389USD (approx. £310GBP).

Threat ID:: CC-1154
Category:: Ransomware
Threat Severity:: Medium
Threat Vector:
Published:: 9 February 2017 12:00 AM

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Summary

Philadelphia ransomware was released for sale on the dark web marketplace, AlphaBay in late 2016. Since its release, the author has sold the malware 38 times at a price of $389USD (approx. £310GBP).

Affected platforms

The following platforms are known to be affected:

Microsoft Windows

All Windows versions

Threat details

This price includes the malware, lifetime updates and technical support. The ransomware provides support for several languages and also includes a worm-like capability to spread across a network to other hosts.

The ransomware is capable of bypassing Data Execution Prevention (DEP) and User Account Control (UAC) whilst avoiding detection by anti-virus products. The updates appear to be for the end-user rather than changes to the malware or encryption routine itself.

The author has received high praise for current and previous products in the AlphaBay community and regularly updates Philadelphia adding new features each time. This indicates the author is competent and is likely to gain in popularity.

Remediation steps

Type	Step
	If a computer on your network becomes infected with ransomware it will begin encrypting local machine files and files on any network the logged-in user has permission to access. For system administration accounts this may include backup storage locations. To avoid becoming infected with ransomware, ensure that: A robust program of education and awareness training is delivered to users to ensure they don’t open attachments or follow links within unsolicited emails. All operating systems, antivirus and other security products are kept up to date. All day to day computer activities such as email and internet are performed using non-administrative accounts and that permissions are always assigned on the basis of least privilege. Your organisation adopts a holistic all round approach to Cyber Security as advocated by the 10 Steps To Cyber Security. Identifying the source of infection: Identifying the infected machine and unplugging / disconnecting or quarantining it from the network is essential to damage limitation. Users should immediately report infections to their IT support provider, disconnect their network cable and power the computer down. File auditing should be enabled and file server logs should be monitored to detect signs of unauthorised encryption and allow the source of encryption to be identified (i.e. the infected PC). To limit the damage of ransomware and enable recovery: All critical data must be backed up, and these backups must be sufficiently protected/kept out of reach of ransomware. Multiple backups should be created including at least one off-network backup (e.g. to tape). The only guaranteed way to recover from a ransomware infection is to restore all affected files from their most recent backup.

Type

Step

If a computer on your network becomes infected with ransomware it will begin encrypting local machine files and files on any network the logged-in user has permission to access. For system administration accounts this may include backup storage locations.

To avoid becoming infected with ransomware, ensure that:

A robust program of education and awareness training is delivered to users to ensure they don’t open attachments or follow links within unsolicited emails.
All operating systems, antivirus and other security products are kept up to date.
All day to day computer activities such as email and internet are performed using non-administrative accounts and that permissions are always assigned on the basis of least privilege.
Your organisation adopts a holistic all round approach to Cyber Security as advocated by the 10 Steps To Cyber Security.

Identifying the source of infection:

Identifying the infected machine and unplugging / disconnecting or quarantining it from the network is essential to damage limitation.

Users should immediately report infections to their IT support provider, disconnect their network cable and power the computer down.
File auditing should be enabled and file server logs should be monitored to detect signs of unauthorised encryption and allow the source of encryption to be identified (i.e. the infected PC).

To limit the damage of ransomware and enable recovery:

All critical data must be backed up, and these backups must be sufficiently protected/kept out of reach of ransomware.

Multiple backups should be created including at least one off-network backup (e.g. to tape).

The only guaranteed way to recover from a ransomware infection is to restore all affected files from their most recent backup.

Last edited: 11 January 2022 12:01 pm