Dark Angels Team Ransomware: In-Depth Analysis, Detection, and Mitigation

Dark Angels Team emerged in May 2022.  Actors behind Dark Angels Team campaigns practice double extortion – demanding payment for a decryptor, as well as for the non-release of stolen data. The code is derived from the leaked Babuk builders, and is nearly identical feature-wise.

What Does Dark Angels Team Ransomware Target?

Dark Angels Team ransomware has been found to target a variety of industries including healthcare, government, finance, and education.

How Does Dark Angels Team Ransomware Spread?

Dark Angels Team ransomware payloads are deployed in multiple ways: via Cobalt Strike or a similar framework, and through phishing. Exploitation of known vulnerabilities, to gain initial access, has also been observed along with limited distribution via malicious advertisements.

Dark Angels Team Ransomware Technical Details

Dark Angel Team Ransomware is based on the source code of Babuk, and functions in very much the same way. The ransomware will attempt to inhibit system recovery and terminate any process that may interfere with the encryption process.

Dark Angel Team Ransomware will accept either the ‘paths’ or ‘shares’ arguments to enable network discovery and enumeration. Different methods and APIs are used depending on which argument is passed to the ransomware payload executable.

Dark Angel Team attacks are very specific, with target names appearing in the samples and related ransom notes. When spreading over the network, the payloads processes each machine in serial, one after the other, making the encryption process (across the network) less efficient and more time consuming.

How to Detect Dark Angels Team Ransomware

• The SentinelOne Singularity XDR Platform can identify and stop any malicious activities and items related to Dark Angels Team.

In case you do not have SentinelOne deployed, detecting this ransomware requires a combination of technical and operational measures, which are designed to identify and flag suspicious activity on the network. This allows the organization to take appropriate action, and to prevent or mitigate the impact of the ransomware attack.

1. Use antimalware software, or other security tools, which are capable of detecting and blocking known ransomware variants. These tools may use signatures, heuristics, or machine learning algorithms, to identify and block suspicious files or activities.
2. Monitor network traffic, and look for indicators of compromise, such as unusual network traffic patterns, or communication with known command-and-control servers.
3. Conduct regular security audits and assessments, to identify vulnerabilities in the network and the system, and to ensure that all security controls are in place and functioning properly.
4. Educate and train employees on cybersecurity best practices, including how to identify and report suspicious emails, or other threats.
5. Implement a robust backup and recovery plan, to ensure that the organization has a copy of its data, and can restore it in case of an attack.

How to Mitigate Dark Angels Team Ransomware

• The SentinelOne Singularity XDR Platform can return systems to their original state using either the Repair or Rollback feature.

The SentinelOne Singularity XDR Platform will restore systems to their pre-infection state (via Repair or Rollback).

In case you do not have SentinelOne deployed, there are several steps that organizations can take to mitigate the risk of ransomware attacks:

1. Educate employees: Employees should be educated on the risks of ransomware and on how to identify and avoid phishing emails, malicious attachments, and other threats. They should be encouraged to report suspicious emails or attachments and avoid opening them or clicking on links or buttons.
2. Implement strong passwords: Organizations should implement strong, unique passwords for all user accounts and regularly update and rotate these passwords. Passwords should be at least eight characters long and include a combination of uppercase and lowercase letters, numbers, and special characters.
3. Enable multi-factor authentication: Organizations should enable multi-factor authentication (MFA) for all user accounts to provide an additional layer of security. This can be done through the use of mobile apps, such as Google Authenticator or Microsoft Authenticator, or the use of physical tokens or smart cards.
4. Update and patch systems: Organizations should regularly update and patch their systems to fix any known vulnerabilities and to prevent attackers from exploiting them. This includes updating the operating system, applications, and firmware on all devices and disabling any unnecessary or unused services or protocols.

Implement backup and disaster recovery: Organizations should implement regular backup and disaster recovery (BDR) processes, to ensure that they can recover from ransomware attacks or other disasters. This includes creating regular backups of all data and systems and storing these backups in a secure, offsite location. The backups should be tested regularly to ensure they work and can be restored quickly and easily.