December 16, 2019 By David Bisson 2 min read

Researchers observed the Russian-based Zeppelin ransomware targeting high-profile users based in the U.S. and Europe.

Blackberry Cylance observed threat actors using Zeppelin ransomware to selectively target technology and healthcare companies located in the U.S. and Europe. In their analysis of this campaign, Cylance’s researchers observed that all Zeppelin samples quit running if they detected that the infected computer was based in Russia or another former Soviet Union country. Otherwise, they proceeded with their encryption routines and then dropped a ransom note on the infected machine. Some of those notes used generic messages, while others were more unique. Across the board, however, the samples instructed victims to contact an attacker-controlled email address and supply their unique infection ID number.

The security firm found that the Zeppelin ransomware was hosted on watering hole sites and Pastebin at the time of its analysis. Furthermore, it found that the threat was deployable as an EXE, DLL or a package wrapped in a PowerShell loader.

The Newest Variant of VegaLocker

Researchers at Blackberry Cylance determined that Zeppelin was the latest variant of a well-known ransomware-as-a-service (RaaS) family called Vega or VegaLocker. In April 2019, Bleeping Computer revealed that VegaLocker had been responsible for encrypting users’ computers as part of a malvertising campaign involving the Russian Yandex.Direct advertising network. It was several months later when McAfee Labs spotted another VegaLocker variant called Buran relying on the RIG exploit kit’s abuse of an Internet Explorer vulnerability for distribution.

How to Defend Against Zeppelin Ransomware

Security professionals can help their organizations defend against Zeppelin ransomware by not underestimating the power of security awareness training. Not investing in the workforce’s awareness of digital threats like phishing could leave the organization open to a ransomware infection. Additionally, infosec personnel should focus on obtaining the latest threat intelligence so that they can stay on top of new ransomware campaigns and techniques.

More from

How will the Merck settlement affect the insurance industry?

3 min read - A major shift in how cyber insurance works started with an attack on the pharmaceutical giant Merck. Or did it start somewhere else?In June 2017, the NotPetya incident hit some 40,000 Merck computers, destroying data and forcing a months-long recovery process. The attack affected thousands of multinational companies, including Mondelēz and Maersk. In total, the malware caused roughly $10 billion in damage.NotPetya malware exploited two Windows vulnerabilities: EternalBlue, a digital skeleton key leaked from the NSA, and Mimikatz, an exploit…

3 Strategies to overcome data security challenges in 2024

3 min read - There are over 17 billion internet-connected devices in the world — and experts expect that number will surge to almost 30 billion by 2030.This rapidly growing digital ecosystem makes it increasingly challenging to protect people’s privacy. Attackers only need to be right once to seize databases of personally identifiable information (PII), including payment card information, addresses, phone numbers and Social Security numbers.In addition to the ever-present cybersecurity threats, data security teams must consider the growing list of data compliance laws…

ICS CERT predictions for 2024: What you need to know

4 min read - As we work through the first quarter of 2024, various sectors are continuously adapting to increasingly complex cybersecurity threats. Sectors like healthcare, finance, energy and transportation are all regularly widening their digital infrastructure, resulting in larger attack surfaces and greater risk exposure.Kaspersky just released their ICS CERT Predictions for this year, outlining the key cybersecurity challenges industrial enterprises will face in the year ahead. The forecasts emphasize the persistent nature of ransomware threats, the increasing prevalence of cosmopolitical hacktivism, insights…

Topic updates

Get email updates and stay ahead of the latest threats to the security landscape, thought leadership and research.
Subscribe today