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Sigrun Ransomware

Sigrun is ransomware that purposely avoids Russian users and devices whilst asking for a ransom payment from all others that are infected.
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Summary

Sigrun is ransomware that purposely avoids Russian users and devices whilst asking for a ransom payment from all others that are infected.

Affected platforms

The following platforms are known to be affected:

Threat details

At the time of publication, the delivery method is unknown but it is most likely malvertising spam campaigns, malicious downloads or email attachments.

When executed it will first check if the device is set to the Russian language keyboard layout, If the device is it will halt the process and delete itself. If it detects the system isn’t using the Russian layout it will scan the computer for files to encrypt whilst skipping any that match system and configuration files. It will attempt to encrypt all other files and append the .sigrun extension to the encrypted file's name.


Remediation steps

Type Step

If a device 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, anti-virus 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 affected device and 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 device).

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: 17 February 2020 12:54 pm