Ransomware Research
About Aurora
Aurora
Aurora was first discovered in May 2018 in enterprise cloud environments. Aurora is found in environments with a number of different names, including OneKeyLocker, etc. For a full list of all names, please see below.
| Name | Aurora |
|---|---|
| AKA |
|
| First Seen | May 2018 |
Genealogy
To better understand Aurora, we can trace it’s origins. Below is a snapshot of Aurora’s genealogy.
| Aurora » AnimusLocker,ONI |
Targeting
Behavior of Aurora
Aurora is known to target specific file types. Below are all known file types that Aurora is known to infect.
In some cases, ransomware will update the modified date, when it encrypts files. Aurora updates the last modified date of the file it targets.
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Characteristics of Aurora
Here are some of the unique characteristics that are helpful to know about Aurora.
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 Aurora ransomware is known to change.
| Suffixes | .Aurora, .Nano, .cryptoid, .peekaboo, .isolated, .infected, .locked, .veracrypt, .returndata, .masked, .crypton |
|---|
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 Aurora.
| Type | file |
|---|---|
| File Name | #RECOVERY-PC#.txt |
| Type | file |
|---|---|
| File Name | #RECOVERY_FILES#.txt |
| Location | EveryFolder |
| Type | file |
|---|---|
| File Name | CRYPTOID_BLOCKED.txt |
| Location | EveryFolder |
| Type | file |
|---|---|
| File Name | @@_READ_ME_@@.txt |
| Location | EveryFolder |
| Type | file |
|---|---|
| File Name | @@_TAKE_A_LOOK_@@.txt |
| Location | EveryFolder |
| Type | file |
|---|---|
| File Name | @@_HELPER_@@.txt |
| Location | EveryFolder |
| Type | file |
|---|---|
| File Name | @@_FILES_ARE_ENCRYPTED_@@.txt |
| Location | EveryFolder |
| Type | file |
|---|---|
| File Name | @@_HOW_TO_RETURN_DATA_@@.txt |
| Location | EveryFolder |
| Type | file |
|---|---|
| File Name | @@_RECOVERY_INSTRUCTIONS_@@.txt |
| Location | EveryFolder |
| Type | file |
|---|---|
| File Name | #DECRYPT_MY_FILES#.txt |
| Location | EveryFolder |
| Type | file |
|---|---|
| File Name | @@_ATTENTION_@@.txt |
| Location | EveryFolder |
| Type | file |
|---|---|
| File Name | @@_README_@@.txt |
| Location | EveryFolder |
| Type | file |
|---|---|
| File Name | @@_RECOVERY_@@.txt |
| Location | EveryFolder |
| Type | file |
|---|---|
| File Name | @_FILES_WERE_ENCRYPTED_@.TXT |
| Type | file |
|---|---|
| File Name | @@_OpenTheBrowserTOR_@@.html |
| Location | EveryFolder |
| Type | file |
|---|---|
| File Name | @@_Открыть_В_Браузере_TOR_@@.html |
| Location | EveryFolder |
Executables
These are the names of the executables that contain the undetonated ransomware payload for Aurora.
| Executables | myfile.exe, a.exe, List.exe, RegAsm.exe, Sample_5bb53d72b5bce37484b76bd9.exe, RegAsm3.exe, tree.exe, RICKROLL.exe, 2.jpg, cfe5a746.gxe, 6C92EJ6A.exe, java.exe, pl.exe, 2.exe, 1.exe, QC17GKO3.exe, R.exe, loker.exe, Masked (Aurora), svchost.exe, EffectivelyCloneable, 01-03_185.222.202.213_33B1F895B3905D4591207565EBFEFEF4_mtx777.exe, 945.tmp.exe, ljfnub.exe, mtx777.exe |
|---|
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 Aurora.
| External Pages |
|
|---|
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