Ransomware Roundup – NoEscape | FortiGuard Labs

On a bi-weekly basis, FortiGuard Labs gathers data on ransomware variants of interest that have been gaining traction within our datasets and the OSINT community. The Ransomware Roundup report aims to provide readers with brief insights into the evolving ransomware landscape and the Fortinet solutions that protect against those variants.

This edition of the Ransomware Roundup covers the NoEscape ransomware.

Affected platforms: Microsoft Windows, Linux, and ESXi
Impacted parties: Microsoft Windows, Linux, and ESXi Users
Impact: Encrypts and exfiltrates victims’ files and demands ransom for file decryption
Severity level: High

NoEscape Ransomware Overview

NoEscape is a financially motivated ransomware group that emerged in May 2023. The group runs a Ransomware-as-a-Service program. The developer creates and provides necessary pre- and post-infection tools for affiliates to perform malicious activities such as compromising victims, data exfiltration, and encryptor (ransomware) deployments. The group has victimized numerous organizations across multiple industries, including government, energy, hospitals, and physicians’ clinics. The NoEscape ransomware group is believed to be related to the now-defunct Avaddon ransomware group.

Infection Vector

Information on the infection vector used by the NoEscape ransomware threat actor is not currently available. However, it is not likely to differ significantly from other ransomware groups.

Victimology

According to data collected through Fortinet’s FortiRecon service, the NoEscape ransomware group has targeted multiple industry verticals (Figure 1). Business services were most impacted by the ransomware, followed by the manufacturing and retail sectors. Victims of the NoEscape ransomware also include government organizations, hospitals, and medical clinics.

When victim organizations are ranked according to country (Figure 2), the United States leads by a wide margin.

As of November 3, 2023, the NoEscape ransomware group had last posted new victims on October 27th.

NoEscape Ransomware Execution

Once a network has been compromised and data has been exfiltrated, the NoEscape attacker deploys and runs a file encryptor, which terminates the following services and processes:

The ransomware encrypts files on the compromised systems and appends a “.[random 10-character uppercase alphabet]” extension to the affected files.

The ransomware avoids encrypting the following file extensions:

The NoEscape ransomware also exempts the following directories from file encryption:

It then leaves a ransom note titled “HOW_TO_RECOVER_FILES.txt.” The ransom note instructs victims to visit a TOR site for further instructions. The actual ransom negotiation takes place on TOX. It also insists that the NoEscape ransomware group is financially driven and is not politically motivated.

The NoEscape ransomware has variants that affect Linux and VMware ESXi.

Data Leak Site

The NoEscape ransomware group owns a TOR site where victims can contact the threat actor. Stolen information and a list of victims are also posted there.

Victims are instructed to visit the TOR site below and enter the unique personal ID listed on the ransom note.

As of November 3, the “NoEscape” blog lists 20 active NoEscape ransomware victims.

If victims do not comply with the attacker’s request, another message is added to the page assigned to each victim urging action. Some of those messages are below:

Fortinet Protections

Fortinet customers are already protected from this malware variant through our AntiVirus and FortiEDR services, as follows:

FortiGuard Labs detects the NoEscape ransomware samples with the following AV signatures:

• W32/Avaddon.H!tr.ransom
• W32/Filecoder_Avaddon.E!tr.ransom
• W32/Filecoder_Avaddon.H!tr
• W32/Filecoder_Avaddon.H!tr.ransom
• Linux/Filecoder_NoEscape.A!tr
• Linux/Filecoder_NoEscape.B!tr

The FortiGuard AntiVirus service is supported by FortiGate, FortiMail, FortiClient, and FortiEDR. Fortinet EPP customers running current AntiVirus updates are also protected.

IOCs

File IOCs

FortiGuard Labs Guidance

Due to the ease of disruption, damage to daily operations, potential impact on an organization’s reputation, and the unwanted destruction or release of personally identifiable information (PII), etc., it is vital to keep all AV and IPS signatures up to date.

Since the majority of ransomware is delivered via phishing, organizations should consider leveraging Fortinet solutions designed to train users to understand and detect phishing threats:

The FortiPhish Phishing Simulation Service uses real-world simulations to help organizations test user awareness and vigilance to phishing threats and to train and reinforce proper practices when users encounter targeted phishing attacks.

Our FREE NSE training: NSE 1 – Information Security Awareness includes a module on internet threats designed to help end users learn how to identify and protect themselves from various types of phishing attacks and can be easily added to internal training programs.

Organizations will need to make foundational changes to the frequency, location, and security of their data backups to effectively deal with the evolving and rapidly expanding risk of ransomware. When coupled with digital supply chain compromise and a workforce telecommuting into the network, there is a real risk that attacks can come from anywhere. Cloud-based security solutions, such as SASE, to protect off-network devices; advanced endpoint security, such as EDR (endpoint detection and response) solutions that can disrupt malware mid-attack; and Zero Trust Access and network segmentation strategies that restrict access to applications and resources based on policy and context, should all be investigated to minimize risk and to reduce the impact of a successful ransomware attack.

As part of the industry’s leading fully integrated Security Fabric, delivering native synergy and automation across your security ecosystem, Fortinet also provides an extensive portfolio of technology and human-based as-a-service offerings. These services are powered by our global FortiGuard team of seasoned cybersecurity experts.

Best Practices Include Not Paying a Ransom

Organizations such as CISA, NCSC, the FBI, and HHS caution ransomware victims against paying a ransom partly because the payment does not guarantee that files will be recovered. According to a US Department of Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) advisory, ransom payments may also embolden adversaries to target additional organizations, encourage other criminal actors to distribute ransomware, and/or fund illicit activities that could potentially be illegal. For organizations and individuals affected by ransomware, the FBI has a Ransomware Complaint page where victims can submit samples of ransomware activity via their Internet Crimes Complaint Center (IC3).

How Fortinet Can Help

FortiGuard Labs’ Emergency Incident Response Service provides rapid and effective response when an incident is detected. Our Incident Readiness Subscription Service provides tools and guidance to help you better prepare for a cyber incident through readiness assessments, IR playbook development, and IR playbook testing (tabletop exercises).

Additionally, FortiRecon Digital Risk Protection (DRP), is a SaaS-based service that provides a view of what adversaries are seeing, doing, and planning, to help you counter attacks at the reconnaissance phase and significantly reduce the risk, time, and cost of later-stage threat mitigation.