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RANSOMWARE GROUP BEHIND MAJOR INDONESIAN ATTACK WEARS MANY MASKSRANSOMWARE GROUP
BEHIND MAJOR INDONESIAN ATTACK WEARS MANY MASKS

Brain Cipher made a loud entry to the ransomware scene, but it doesn't seem to
be quite as sophisticated as its accomplishment would suggest.

Nate Nelson, Contributing Writer

August 15, 2024

3 Min Read
Source: travelstock44 via Alamy Stock Photo


The threat actor behind a major attack on Indonesian government services is just
one manifestation of an operation going by at least three other names.

On June 20, a ransomware operation known as "Brain Cipher" bit off more than it
could chew when it locked up Indonesia's national data center. Hours-long lines
began to form across the world's fourth-largest country as ferry passengers
waited for booking systems to come back online, and international arrivals stood
frozen at passport verification kiosks. Effects were felt throughout more than
200 national and local government agencies in all. Under pressure and with no
promise of payment, the group abandoned its $8 million ransom demand, publishing
its decryptor for free.

Researchers from Group-IB have since studied Brain Cipher and found that it's
related to at least three other groups, or perhaps just operating under four
different names. Together, these variously named entities have carried out
attacks across the globe, but often without much consequence.


BRAIN CIPHER'S TTPS

Evidence of Brain Cipher's existence dates back only to its attack against the
Indonesian government. Despite being so young, it already has spread to Israel,
South Africa, the Philippines, Portugal, and Thailand. This, however, isn't
necessarily proof of any degree of sophistication.

The malware it uses is based on the leaked Lockbit 3.0 builder. It has also used
a variant of Babuk in the case of at least one Indonesian victim. "The use of
varying encryptors allows threat actors to target multiple operating systems and
environments," explains Tara Gould, threat research lead at Cado Security.
"Different encryptors may be optimized for different operating systems which
widens the scope of potential targets, ultimately maximizing the impact."

What its ransom notes lack in personality they make up for in clarity, with
brief, step-by-step instructions on how to pay them for data recovery. That
process involves all the usual ransomware trappings: a victim portal, customer
support services, and a leak site.

Notably, though, the group did not leak data belonging to most of its victims
tracked by Group-IB. This led the researchers to conclude that Brain Cipher does
not actually exfiltrate data as it promises.


BRAIN CIPHER'S MANY IDENTITIES

Brain Cipher also struggles with opsec. Its ransom notes, contact information,
and Tor website all overlap with other supposedly independent groups, including
Reborn Ransomware, EstateRansomware, SenSayQ, and another entity without a nom
de guerre, artifacts from which date back to April.

Together, these purportedly independent operations have sent overlapping
ransomware attacks across the globe. Reborn has tallied up victims in China,
France, Indonesia, and Kuwait, and the other groups have France, Hong Kong,
Italy, Lebanon, Malaysia, and the US on their lists.

"Operating under multiple names and using different encryptors offers several
advantages to threat actors," explains Sarah Jones, cyber threat intelligence
research analyst at Critical Start. "By continually evolving their tactics,
these actors hinder the ability of security researchers and law enforcement to
track their activities. The use of multiple identities obfuscates attribution,
prolonging investigations and enabling targeting of various sectors or regions
without reputational consequences."

"The flexibility to rapidly adopt new personas safeguards against operational
disruption in the event of compromised identities," Jones says.

Cado Security's Gould adds that these personas may also lubricate future exit
scams.




ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Nate Nelson, Contributing Writer



Nate Nelson is a freelance writer based in New York City. Formerly a reporter at
Threatpost, he contributes to a number of cybersecurity blogs and podcasts. He
writes "Malicious Life" -- an award-winning Top 20 tech podcast on Apple and
Spotify -- and hosts every other episode, featuring interviews with leading
voices in security. He also co-hosts "The Industrial Security Podcast," the most
popular show in its field.

See more from Nate Nelson, Contributing Writer
Keep up with the latest cybersecurity threats, newly discovered vulnerabilities,
data breach information, and emerging trends. Delivered daily or weekly right to
your email inbox.

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