McAfee ATR Threat Report: A Quick Primer on Cuba Ransomware

Executive Summary 

Cuba ransomware is an older ransomware, that has recently undergone some development. The actors have incorporated the leaking of victim data to increase its impact and revenue, much like we have seen recently with other major ransomware campaigns. 

In our analysis, we observed that the attackers had access to the network before the infection and were able to collect specific information in order to orchestrate the attack and have the greatest impact. The attackers operate using a set of PowerShell scripts that enables them to move laterally. The ransom note mentions that the data was exfiltrated before it was encrypted. In similar attacks we have observed the use of a Cobalt Strike payload, although we have not found clear evidence of a relationship with Cuba ransomware. 

We observed Cuba ransomware targeting financial institutions, industry, technology and logistics organizations.  

The following picture shows an overview of the countries that have been impacted according to our telemetry.  

Coverage and Protection Advice 

Defenders should be on the lookout for traces and behaviours that correlate to open source pen test tools such as winPEAS, Lazagne, Bloodhound and Sharp Hound, or hacking frameworks like Cobalt Strike, Metasploit, Empire or Covenant, as well as abnormal behavior of non-malicious tools that have a dual use. These seemingly legitimate tools (e.g., ADfind, PSExec, PowerShell, etc.) can be used for things like enumeration and execution. Subsequently, be on the lookout for abnormal usage of Windows Management Instrumentation WMIC (T1047). We advise everyone to check out the following blogs on evidence indicators for a targeted ransomware attack (Part1, Part2).  

Looking at other similar Ransomware-as-a-Service families we have seen that certain entry vectors are quite common among ransomware criminals: 

• E-mail Spear phishing (T1566.001) often used to directly engage and/or gain an initial foothold. The initial phishing email can also be linked to a different malware strain, which acts as a loader and entry point for the attackers to continue completely compromising a victim’s network. We have observed this in the past with the likes of Trickbot & Ryuk or Qakbot & Prolock, etc.  
• Exploit Public-Facing Application (T1190) is another common entry vector, given cyber criminals are often avid consumers of security news and are always on the lookout for a good exploit. We therefore encourage organizations to be fast and diligent when it comes to applying patches. There are numerous examples in the past where vulnerabilities concerning remote access software, webservers, network edge equipment and firewalls have been used as an entry point.  
• Using valid accounts (T1078) is and has been a proven method for cybercriminals to gain a foothold. After all, why break the door down if you already have the keys? Weakly protected RDP access is a prime example of this entry method. For the best tips on RDP security, please see our blog explaining RDP security. 
• Valid accounts can also be obtained via commodity malware such as infostealers that are designed to steal credentials from a victim’s computer. Infostealer logs containing thousands of credentials can be purchased by ransomware criminals to search for VPN and corporate logins. For organizations, having a robust credential management and MFA on user accounts is an absolute must have.  

When it comes to the actual ransomware binary, we strongly advise updating and upgrading endpoint protection, as well as enabling options like tamper protection and Rollback. Please read our blog on how to best configure ENS 10.7 to protect against ransomware for more details. 

For active protection, more details can be found on our website –  https://www.mcafee.com/enterprise/en-us/threat-center/threat-landscape-dashboard/ransomware-details.cuba-ransomware.html – and in our detailed Defender blog. 

Summary of the Threat 

• Cuba ransomware is currently hitting several companies in north and south America, as well as in Europe.  
• The attackers use a set of obfuscated PowerShell scripts to move laterally and deploy their attack.  
• The website to leak the stolen data has been put online recently.  
• The malware is obfuscated and comes with several evasion techniques.  
• The actors have sold some of the stolen data.  
• The ransomware uses multiple argument options and has the possibility to discover shared resources using the NetShareEnum API. 

Learn more about Cuba ransomware, Yara Rules, Indicators of Compromise & Mitre ATT&CK techniques used by reading our detailed technical analysis.

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