We have detected that you are using Internet Explorer to visit this website. Internet Explorer is now being phased out by Microsoft. As a result, NHS Digital no longer supports any version of Internet Explorer for our web-based products, as it involves considerable extra effort and expense, which cannot be justified from public funds. Some features on this site will not work. You should use a modern browser such as Edge, Chrome, Firefox, or Safari. If you have difficulty installing or accessing a different browser, contact your IT support team.
Summary
First seen in July 2020, MountLocker is a enterprise targeted ransomware tool. It's operators are attempting to extract seven-figure ransoms from affected parties by threatening to leak data stolen during encryption.
Affected platforms
The following platforms are known to be affected:- Microsoft Windows Versions: all supported
Threat details
Threat updates
Date | Update |
---|---|
16 Dec 2020 |
Cut-down new variant
A new MountLocker variant has been observed which is half the size of previous versions of the tool. Coming in at only 46KB, this new version uses a far smaller target file extension list. Apart from this it appears to be functionally identical to older MountLocker variants. |
26 Nov 2020 |
Tax documents targeted
A new variant of MountLocker now attempts to extract files and documents containing or relating to tax information. |
Remediation advice
If a device on your network becomes infected with ransomware it will begin encrypting files, which may also include remote files on network locations. The only guaranteed way to recover from a ransomware infection is to restore all affected files from their most recent backup. To limit the impact of a ransomware infection, NHS Digital advises that:
- Critical data is frequently saved in multiple backup locations.
- At least one backup is kept offline at any time (separated from live systems).
- Backups and incident recovery plans are tested to ensure that data can be restored when needed.
- User account permissions for modifying data are regularly reviewed and restricted to the minimum necessary.
- Infected systems are disconnected from the network and powered down as soon as practicable.
- Any user account credentials that may have been compromised should be reset on a clean device
- Where infected systems cannot be quarantined with confidence, then an affected organisation should disconnect from national networks to limit propagation.
Additionally, to prevent and detect an infection, NHS Digital advises that:
- Secure configurations are applied to all devices.
- Security updates are applied at the earliest opportunity.
- Tamper protection settings in security products are enabled where available.
- Obsolete platforms are segregated from the rest of the network.
- IT usage policies are reinforced by regular training to ensure all users know not to open unsolicited links or attachments.
- Multi-factor authentication (MFA) and lockout policies are used where practicable, especially for administrative accounts.
- Administrative accounts are only used for necessary purposes.
- Remote administration services use strongly encrypted protocols and only accept connections from authorised users or locations.
- Systems are continuously monitored, and unusual activity is investigated, so that a compromise of the network can be detected as early as possible.
Please note that NCSC maintains guidance for securely configuring a wide range of end user device (EUD) platforms. For further details refer to their end user device security guidance pages.