Ransomware Research

About AES_KEY_GEN_ASSIST

AES_KEY_GEN_ASSIST

AES_KEY_GEN_ASSIST was first discovered in December 2016 in enterprise cloud environments.

Name AES_KEY_GEN_ASSIST
First Seen December 2016

Genealogy

To better understand AES_KEY_GEN_ASSIST, we can trace it’s origins. Below is a snapshot of AES_KEY_GEN_ASSIST’s genealogy.

DXXD » AES_KEY_GEN_ASSIST
Targeting

Behavior of AES_KEY_GEN_ASSIST

AES_KEY_GEN_ASSIST is known to target specific file types. Below are all known file types that AES_KEY_GEN_ASSIST is known to infect.

In some cases, ransomware will update the modified date, when it encrypts files. AES_KEY_GEN_ASSIST unknown the last modified date of the file it targets.

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Characteristics of AES_KEY_GEN_ASSIST

Here are some of the unique characteristics that are helpful to know about AES_KEY_GEN_ASSIST.

Suffixes

Some ransomware will change or append a suffix to the end of the file after they are encrypted, including changing the extension of a file. Here are some of the possible suffixes that AES_KEY_GEN_ASSIST ransomware is known to change.

Suffixes.pre_alpha

Ransomware Notes

Not all ransomware leaves a note. However, some ransomware leaves the infected party instructions on what the user should do to get rid of the ransomware, or satisfy the ransom. This often involves transferring money, often bitcoin or another cryptocurrency to a designated wallet.

Below are the type(s) of notes, content, and typical locations where Elastio has found ransom notes from AES_KEY_GEN_ASSIST.

Typefile
File Name!Read__Me.tXt
Location

External Pages

Ransomware often links to external pages such as payment pages, telegram contacts, etc. Below are some of the URLs Elastio has found to be associated with AES_KEY_GEN_ASSIST.

External Pages
  • mailto:gen_assist@protonmail.com
  • mailto:cmp@keemail.me
  • bitmessage:BM-2cUvFEjH2g1VDRFu8jzG9Lsff9ymXCMA8z
How Elastio can help

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