goddamn ransomwhere

Executive Summary

goddamn ransomwhere is a medium‑sophistication criminal ransomware-as-a-service actor that encrypts files with AES‑256-CBC combined with RSA‑2048 key wrapping, appending a .God8Damn extension and victim ID. The campaign employs double‑extortion tactics by exfiltrating data over Tor before or during encryption, and targets Windows, Linux, NAS, and virtualized environments (ESXi, Hyper‑V) through phishing attachments, SMB/RDP lateral movement, and remote services.

Goals & Targeting

The primary strategic objective of goddamn ransomwhere is financial gain through ransomware extortion and double‑extortion campaigns. By encrypting data and threatening to publish or sell exfiltrated information, the actor maximizes leverage over victims, especially those in high‑value sectors such as healthcare and critical infrastructure. The targeting profile favors enterprises with significant on‑prem, virtualized, or NAS deployments that rely heavily on consistent, unencrypted backups, thereby increasing the likelihood of payment.

Key Capabilities

• Hybrid encryption using AES‑256‑CBC per file with RSA‑2048 key wrapping
• Persistence via random Windows service in %ProgramData% and logon‑triggered scheduled task created with schtasks.exe
• Virtualization targeting (ESXi, Hyper‑V) to encrypt VM datastores
• Lateral movement through SMB (TCP 445) and RDP (TCP 3389) connections
• Double extortion via data exfiltration using Tor-based C2 before or during encryption
• Remote access persistence using AnyDesk
• Credential theft from web browsers, Windows Credential Manager, VNC, Wi‑Fi profiles, and email clients
• Malicious Microsoft‑signed driver to disable antivirus and endpoint protection
• Victim communication through disposable email addresses and qTox/Tox messaging client
• File manipulation: appending unique victim ID and .God8Damn extension, ransom note generation with README.TXT or generic filenames (READ-ME.txt)
• Distribution via phishing emails with malicious attachments

MITRE ATT&CK Tactics

ATT&CK Techniques

Software / Tooling

Campaigns & Victims

goddamn ransomwhere has documented activity through early 2024, with confirmed incidents against US healthcare organizations and other enterprises. The actor employs a ransomware‑as‑a‑service model that rebrands older code from the Beast/Monster lineage, delivering malware via phishing attachments or compromised sites. Campaigns typically involve double‑extortion, encrypting files on local and external storage while exfiltrating data before or during attack. Operations are conducted with medium frequency, targeting both on‑prem and virtualized systems; the persistent use of Tor nodes for command‑and‑control suggests a reliance on stealth and anonymity in communication.

IOC Patterns

• Email addresses (e.g., god8damn@hotmail.com, god8damn@cyberfear.com)
• File extension .God8Damn or generic extensions (.enc, .encrypted)
• Victim ID prefix such as [1CAAA6F2-2B17B6E6] in file names
• AES‑256-CBC key encryption per file RSA‑2048 key wrapping of symmetric keys
• Windows service creation in %ProgramData% with random name
• Scheduled task via schtasks.exe to trigger on logon
• Tor network usage for C2 connections
• qTox ID 'qtox:ABAA98879B...' used for communication
• Malicious signed driver disabling antivirus and endpoint protection

Recommended Actions

• Disable SMB (TCP 445) and RDP (TCP 3389) outbound traffic from untrusted endpoints
• Isolate infected VLANs or subnets to contain lateral movement
• Never reboot infected servers; preserve memory dumps and system state
• Reset domain administrator and privileged service account passwords immediately Revoke exposed Kerberos tickets
• Air‑gap backup repositories to ensure offline integrity—verify backups before restoring
• Restore only from validated, verified, immutable copies of data
• Run forensic audit scripts (e.g., PowerShell IOC scanners) to identify persistence artifacts
• Use reputable AV tools such as Combo Cleaner or Microsoft Defender to remove active infections
• Block outbound Tor traffic to prevent C2 communication
• Monitor for abnormal cryptographic operations and suspicious file‑extension changes through EDR solutions
• Implement regular user phishing awareness training Enforce multi-factor authentication on critical systems
• Maintain redundant, geographically distributed backups—test restoration procedures periodically

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