7
DOPPELPAYMER: A CASE STUDY
DoppelPaymer is a variant of BitPaymer, a ransomware operated by the INDRIK SPIDER
group
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. The group as formed in 2014 and has de eloped a custom banking Trojan
malware known as Dridex, which over the years caused losses amounting to millions
of dollars globally using wired fraud. The group shifted to ransom extortions in late
2017 ith the BitPa mer ransom are.
Since June 2019, the DoppelPa mer ransom are strain as detected in the ild, targeting
the City of Edcouch, Texas and the Chilean Ministry of Agriculture. DoppelPaymer
ransomware is known to be largely based on both Dridex and BitPaymer source codes.
Despite the similarities, DoppelPaymer is considered a separate operation. It is usually
dropped by the Dridex Trojan (which is itself typically downloaded by Emotet), but
DoppelPaymer was also observed distributed via spam emails, deceptive downloads,
botnets, exploits, malvertising, insecure RDPs, web injects and fake updates on the
ictim’s computer
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. DoppelPaymer is capable of terminating services and processes
that ma interrupt ith its åfle encr ption process, including ICS and industrial
software-related processes (see “Most Targeted Industries” chapter above).
In Februar 2020, it as reported that the DoppelPa mer gang adopted the “double
extortion” tactic and threatened victims they would sell their data or publish it if
the ransom demand is not paid. Furthermore, DoppelPaymer operators also claimed
the ha e been stealing their ictims’ data for almost a ear, and that the e en sold
some of the data on the Dark Web in the past
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. Shortly after, the DoppelPaymer
ransomware gang launched its Dark Web leaks website for publishing the data of
non-paying victims
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.
The åfrst t o ictims the group has created an entr for on their leaks ebsite
in Februar 2020, ere Me ico state-o ned energ compan Peme , and French
telecommunications company Bretagne Télécom, an attack which reportedly involved
the e ploitation of the CVE-2019-19781 Citri ADC ulnerabilit (see “Top Abused
Vulnerabilities” chapter above)
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.
Other prominent, high-proåfle ictims targeted b DoppelPa mer, ere:
+ Precision parts manufacturer Visser Precision (supplier of companies such as Tesla,
Boeing, Lockheed Martin, and SpaceX)
+ US cities, such as City of Torrance of the Los Angeles metropolitan area in California
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and Dela are Count in Penns l ania ( ho reportedl paid the gang US$500,000)
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+ The Oãfce of the Chief Justice in South Africa
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+ A facility of electronics giant Foxconn
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https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/doppelpaymer-ransomware-sells-victims-data-on-darknet-if-not-paid/
https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/doppelpaymer-ransomware-launches-site-to-post-victims-data/
https:// .bleepingcomputer.com/ne s/securit /doppelpa mer-hacked-bretagne-t-l-com-using-the-citri -adc-æfa /
https:// .bleepingcomputer.com/ne s/securit /doppelpa mer-ransom are-hits-los-angeles-count -cit -leaks-åfles/
https://m broadband.co. a/ne s/securit /374310-ransom are-group-releases-data-after-attack-on-oãfce-of-the-chief-justice.html
https://securit aâfairs.co/ ordpress/111654/c ber-crime/dela are-count -doppelpa mer-ransom are.html
https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/foxconn-electronics-giant-hit-by-ransomware-34-million-ransom/
https://www.crowdstrike.com/blog/doppelpaymer-ransomware-and-dridex-2/
https:// .trendmicro.com/en_us/research/21/a/an-o er ie -of-the-doppelpa mer-ransom are.html;
https:// .microsoft.com/securit /blog/2020/03/05/human-operated-ransom are-attacks-a-pre entable-disaster/
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27 | The Ransomware Landscape