Ransomware Research
About Cerber
Cerber
Cerber was first discovered in February 2016 in enterprise cloud environments.
| Name | Cerber |
|---|---|
| First Seen | February 2016 |
Genealogy
To better understand Cerber, we can trace it’s origins. Below is a snapshot of Cerber’s genealogy.
| Cerber » Cerber 2 |
Targeting
Behavior of Cerber
Cerber is known to target specific file types. Below are all known file types that Cerber is known to infect.
In some cases, ransomware will update the modified date, when it encrypts files. Cerber updates the last modified date of the file it targets.
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Characteristics of Cerber
Here are some of the unique characteristics that are helpful to know about Cerber.
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 Cerber ransomware is known to change.
| Suffixes | .cerber, .cerber2 |
|---|
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 Cerber.
| Type | file |
|---|---|
| File Name | # DECRYPT MY FILES #.html |
| Location | EveryFolder |
| Type | file |
|---|---|
| File Name | # DECRYPT MY FILES #.txt |
| Location | EveryFolder |
| Type | file |
|---|---|
| File Name | # DECRYPT MY FILES #.url |
| Location | EveryFolder |
| Type | file |
|---|---|
| File Name | # DECRYPT MY FILES #.vbs |
| Location | EveryFolder |
Executables
These are the names of the executables that contain the undetonated ransomware payload for Cerber.
| Executables | instnm.exe, xwizard.exe, waitfor.exe, 1.exe, cerber_payload.exe, 2016-0-neutrino.mem.exe, icardagt.exe, cmdkey.exe, ReAgentc.exe, lodctr.exe, IBxpv.exe, dialer.exe, gpresult.exe, rdrleakdiag.exe, eventvwr.exe, play.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 Cerber.
| External Pages |
|
|---|
How Elastio can help
Don’t let ransomware
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Elastio is a cloud-native data resilience platform on AWS, providing robust security and assuring the recoverability of critical data in cloud environments.
Elastio protects data from ransomware and malware evading perimeter defenses and mitigates downtime, data loss, and reputational harm for businesses.
