ShrinkLocker: Turning BitLocker into ransomware


The original purpose of BitLocker is to address the risks of data theft or exposure from lost, stolen, or improperly decommissioned devices.

Nonetheless, threat actors have found out that this mechanism can be repurposed for malicious ends to great effect. In that incident, the attackers were able to deploy and run an advanced VBS script that took advantage of BitLocker for unauthorized file encryption. We spotted this script and its modified versions in Mexico, Indonesia, and Jordan. In the sections below, we analyze in detail the malicious code obtained during our incident response effort and provide tips for mitigating this kind of threat.

Read more…
Source: Kaspersky


Sign up for our Newsletter


Related:

  • US, UK crack down on Russian bulletproof hosting service ZServers for LockBit partnership

    February 12, 2025

    Russia-based bulletproof hosting services provider (BPH) ZServers has been sanctioned by the United States, Australia, and the United Kingdom for its alleged involvement with the LockBit ransomware group. In a press release, the Australian Federal Police (AFP) said ZServers was providing services to threat actors responsible for the Medibank Private breach that happened in October 2022. ...

  • Huge cyber attack under way – 2.8 million IPs being used to target VPN devices

    February 10, 2025

    A wide range of Virtual Private Network (VPN) and other networking devices are currently under attack by threat actors trying to break in to wider networks, experts have warned. Threat monitoring platform The Shadowserver Foundation warned about the ongoing attack on X, noting someone is currently using roughly 2.8 million different IP addresses to try and ...

  • Scammers target Italian tycoons using defense minister’s AI-generated voice

    February 10, 2025

    Scammers target Italian tycoons using defense minister’s AI-generated voice on OpenAI Voice Engine Scammers used AI-generated voice of Italian Defense Minister Guido Crosetto in an atempts to steal millions of dollars from Italian business tycoons, according to reports. Crosetto said last Thursday on X that someone was using his name and his artificially generated voice to ...

  • Thai-Swiss-US Operation Nets Hackers Behind 1,000+ Cyber Attacks

    February 10, 2025

    Thai police arrested four European hackers in Phuket who allegedly stole $16 million through ransomware attacks affecting over 1,000 victims worldwide. The suspects, wanted by Swiss and US authorities, were caught in coordinated raids across four locations. Officers from Cyber Crime Investigation Bureau, led by Police Lieutenant General Trairong Phiwphan, conducted “Operation PHOBOS AETOR” in Phuket ...

  • 20 million OpenAI accounts offered for sale

    February 7, 2025

    A cybercriminal acting under the moniker “emirking” offered 20 million OpenAI user login credentials this week, sharing what appeared to be samples of the stolen data itself. A translation of the Russian statement by the poster says: “When I realized that OpenAI might have to verify accounts in bulk, I understood that my password wouldn’t stay ...

  • Engineer IMI becomes latest British firm to be hit by cyber attack

    February 6, 2025

    Engineering group IMI confirmed it had been hit by a cyber attack just a week after rival Smiths Group said hackers had gained access to its global systems. Birmingham-headquartered IMI declined to disclose what data had been accessed in the attack, but systems in a number of its locations globally are understood to have been hit. IMI ...