The Black Basta ransomware group recently experienced a massive leak of internal communications. Alon Gal trained an AI model on these leaked chats, enabling researchers to extract actionable defense information. This AI-driven approach is revolutionizing threat intelligence collaboration, providing deep insights into the group’s operations, including their use of corporate VPNs, red team tools, and evasion techniques like Brute Ratel.
Key Insights:
- Corporate VPN Targeting: Black Basta is actively targeting corporate VPNs to gain initial access to victim networks.
- Red Team Tools: The group is lifting red team tools to enhance their attack capabilities.
- Evasion Techniques: They are using Brute Ratel, a tool sold by a former CrowdStrike staff member, to evade detection by CrowdStrike.
Practice-Verified Commands and Codes:
1. Detecting Brute Ratel C2 Traffic:
tcpdump -i eth0 -nn -s0 -A 'tcp[((tcp[12:1] & 0xf0) >> 2):4] = 0x47455420'
This command captures HTTP GET requests, which can help identify Brute Ratel command-and-control (C2) traffic.
2. Monitoring VPN Logs for Unusual Activity:
grep "Failed password" /var/log/auth.log
This command checks for failed login attempts on a Linux system, which could indicate brute force attacks on VPN credentials.
3. Blocking Suspicious IPs with iptables:
iptables -A INPUT -s 192.168.1.100 -j DROP
Replace `192.168.1.100` with the suspicious IP address to block it.
4. Analyzing Network Traffic with Wireshark:
wireshark -k -i eth0
Use Wireshark to analyze network traffic for signs of malicious activity.
5. Enhancing CrowdStrike Detection Rules:
- rule: Detect Brute Ratel desc: Detects Brute Ratel C2 activity condition: evt.type = execve and proc.name = "brute_ratel" output: "Brute Ratel activity detected" priority: CRITICAL
This YAML rule can be added to CrowdStrike Falcon to detect Brute Ratel execution.
What Undercode Say:
The Black Basta ransomware group’s leak and the subsequent AI-driven analysis mark a significant shift in threat intelligence collaboration. By leveraging AI, researchers can now extract and share actionable defense information more efficiently. This approach not only enhances our understanding of ransomware operations but also provides practical tools and techniques to defend against them.
In the realm of cybersecurity, continuous monitoring and proactive defense are crucial. Commands like tcpdump, grep, and `iptables` are essential for detecting and mitigating threats. Additionally, tools like Wireshark and CrowdStrike Falcon play a vital role in analyzing and responding to malicious activities.
As the threat landscape evolves, so must our defenses. The integration of AI into threat intelligence is a game-changer, enabling faster and more accurate identification of threats. However, it is equally important to stay updated with the latest tools and techniques, ensuring that our defenses remain robust against emerging threats.
For further reading on AI-driven threat intelligence, visit Alon Gal’s LinkedIn post.
Stay vigilant, keep your systems updated, and always be prepared to adapt to new threats. The fight against ransomware is ongoing, but with the right tools and knowledge, we can stay one step ahead.
References:
Hackers Feeds, Undercode AI
