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Behavior:Win32/BlackCatExec.A
Aliases: No associated aliases
Summary
BlackCat ransomware, also known as ALPHV, was first observed in November 2021. It operates as a ransomware as a service (RaaS), where affiliates pay for software that enables them to launch ransomware attacks.
BlackCat ransomware operators allow affiliates to customize payloads, giving them the opportunity to target different operating systems (Windows and Linux) and corporate environments. The ransomware is written in the Rust programming language, which presents a challenge for traditional security solutions to analyze binaries generated by it.
For more information about ransomware, read this article:
There is no one-size-fits-all response if you have been targeted by ransomware. To recover files, you can restore backups. There is no guarantee that paying the ransom will give you access to your files.
Microsoft Defender Antivirus automatically removes threats as they are detected. If you have cloud-delivered protection, your device gets the latest defenses against new and unknown threats. If you don't have this feature enabled, update your antimalware definitions and run a full scan to remove this threat.
- Immediately isolate the affected device and any additional device with BlackCat ransomware-related alerts. If BlackCat ransomware has been launched, the device is likely under complete attacker control.
- Identify the accounts that have been used on the affected device and consider these accounts compromised. Reset passwords or decommission the accounts.
- Investigate how the affected endpoint might have been compromised. Check for the presence of other malware.
- Investigate the device timeline for indications of lateral movement activities using one of the compromised accounts.
- Initiate an incident response process, focusing on responding to possible data exfiltration and ransomware deployment, both of which attackers might have already performed. Contact your incident response team. If you don't have one, contact Microsoft support for investigation and remediation services.
You can also visit our advanced troubleshooting page or search the Microsoft virus and malware community for more help.
