Zeon Ransomware: In-Depth Analysis, Detection, and Mitigation
What is Zeon Ransomware?
Zeon ransomware was first observed in late January 2022 and is characterized as a low-sophistication and commodity-level ransomware. Ransom notes in Zeon infections prompt victims to visit a TOR-based payment portal. Zeon is the predecessor to Royal ransomware.
Zeon victims are instructed to pay in XMR or BTC with a fee of 25% in case of the latter. Observed Zeon payloads are Python-based executables packaged via pyInstaller and further obfuscated via pyArmor.
What Does Zeon Ransomware Target?
ZeonThanos ransomware is known to target small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs).
How Does Zeon Ransomware Work?
Zeon ransomware targets its victims through phishing emails. They are also known to leverage exposed and vulnerable applications and services such as remote desktop protocol (RDP) and third-party frameworks (e.g., Empire, Metasploit, Cobalt Strike).
Zeon Ransomware Technical Details
On execution, Zeon ransomware payloads attempt to stop any services or processes that could inhibit the encryption process. These include common backup processes and utilities as well as well -known security products. For example, Zeon will attempt to stop known processes from McAfee, Sophos, and Kaspersky.
Zeon achieves persistence via Scheduled Task and the ransomware generates and executes its scheduled task via cmd.exe. Once encrypted, the .zeon extension will be added to all affected files and the ransom note is dropped as “re_ad_me.html” on the Desktop.
How to Detect Zeon Ransomware
The SentinelOne Singularity XDR Platform detects and prevents malicious behaviors and artifacts associated with Zeon ransomware.
If you do not have SentinelOne deployed, here are a few ways you can identify Zeon ransomware in your network:
Security Tools
Use anti-malware software or other security tools capable of detecting and blocking known ransomware variants. These tools may use signatures, heuristics, or machine learning algorithms, to identify and block suspicious files or activities.
Network Traffic
Monitor network traffic and look for indicators of compromise, such as unusual network traffic patterns or communication with known command-and-control servers.
Security Audits
Conduct regular security audits and assessments to identify network and system vulnerabilities and ensure that all security controls are in place and functioning properly.
Education & Training
Educate and train employees on cybersecurity best practices, including identifying and reporting suspicious emails or other threats.
Backup & Recovery Plan
Implement a robust backup and recovery plan to ensure that the organization has a copy of its data and can restore it in case of an attack.
How to Mitigate Zeon Ransomware
SentinelOne Singularity XDR Platform prevents Zeon ransomware infections. In case of an infection, the SentinelOne Singularity XDR Platform detects and prevents malicious behaviors and artifacts associated with Zeon ransomware.
SentinelOne customers are protected from Zeon ransomware without any need to update or take action. In cases where the policy was set to Detect Only and a device became infected, remove the infection by using SentinelOne’s unique rollback capability. As the accompanying video shows, the rollback will revert any malicious impact on the device and restore encrypted files to their original state.
In case you do not have SentinelOne deployed, there are several steps that organizations can take to mitigate the risk of Zeon ransomware attacks:
Educate employees
Employees should be educated on the risks of ransomware, and how to identify and avoid phishing emails, malicious attachments, and other threats. They should be encouraged to report suspicious emails or attachments, and to avoid opening them, or clicking on links or buttons in them.
Implement strong passwords
Organizations should implement strong, unique passwords for all user accounts, and should regularly update and rotate these passwords. Passwords should be at least 8 characters long and should include a combination of uppercase and lowercase letters, numbers, and special characters.
Enable multi-factor authentication
Organizations should enable multi-factor authentication (MFA) for all user accounts, to provide an additional layer of security. This can be done through the use of mobile apps, such as Google Authenticator or Microsoft Authenticator, or the use of physical tokens or smart cards.
Update and patch systems
Organizations should regularly update and patch their systems, to fix any known vulnerabilities, and to prevent attackers from exploiting them. This includes updating the operating system, applications, and firmware on all devices, as well as disabling any unnecessary or unused services or protocols.
Implement backup and disaster recovery
Organizations should implement regular backup and disaster recovery (BDR) processes, to ensure that they can recover from ransomware attacks or other disasters. This includes creating regular backups of all data and systems and storing these backups in a secure, offsite location. The backups should be tested regularly to ensure that they are working and that they can be restored quickly and easily.
Zeon Ransomware FAQs
What is Zeon Ransomware?
Zeon Ransomware was first discovered in late January 2022. It is known for its commodity-level and low-sophistication attacks. Zeon is considered the predecessor to Royal Ransomware. It targets small and medium-sized businesses. All encrypted Xeon ransom files are marked with a .xeon extension, and the ransom note is dropped as “re_ad_me.html” on desktops.
How does Zeon Ransomware spread?
Zeon will attack its victims through phishing emails. It will exploit and expose vulnerable apps and services like remote desktop protocols and third-party frameworks such as Metasploit, Empire, and Cobalt Strike.
Zeon infections come with ransom notes that prompt victims to visit a TOR-based payment portal. They are instructed to pay in BTC or XMR. Zeon payloads are observed as Python-based executables packaged via a Python installer and obfuscated via PyArmor.
Which operating systems are targeted by Zeon Ransomware?
Zeon Ransomware mainly targets Windows systems. There have been reports that hackers use Windows devices’ vulnerabilities to access and encrypt files. Although occasional attempts are made to attack other systems like Linux, most infections occur on Windows computers and servers.
Can Zeon Ransomware spread laterally across networks?
Yes. Zeon Ransomware payloads will try to stop all services and processes that could inhibit its encryption process. It will also affect standard backup processes and utility programs like known security products. After it achieves persistence via a scheduled task, Zeon generates and executes it via the cmd.exe.
How can organizations detect Zeon Ransomware?
Organizations can detect Zeon ransomware in their networks using the latest anti-malware software and security tools. They can monitor their network traffic to look for indicators of compromises like unusual network traffic patterns and unauthorized communications with known command-and-control servers. They should also regularly conduct security audits and assessments and scope for network and system vulnerabilities. Companies must also educate and train their employees on the best cybersecurity practices and implement robust backup and recovery plans.
What should victims do if infected by Zeon Ransomware?
Organizations should use SentinelOne, the Singularity XDR platform, to fight and prevent Zeon ransomware attacks. If they don’t use SentinelOne, they will have to implement a combination of strong passwords and multi-factor authentication and update and patch their systems regularly.
They will also need to implement backup and disaster recovery plans and educate their employees on the risks of these ransomware attacks. Their employees should be able to identify and avoid phishing emails, malicious attachments, and other social engineering threats connected to Zeon ransomware attacks. All these measures will help them mitigate the danger before or after systems are infected.