Pandora Ransomware Technical Analysis Report

This blog post comes from the “Pandora Ransomware Technical Analysis Report” by the Brandefense CTI Analyst Team. For more details about the analysis, download the report.

Introduction

Ransomware attacks have become an increasingly common and costly threat to businesses, government agencies, and other organizations. According to a 2021 report from Cybersecurity Ventures, ransomware attacks are expected to cost businesses over $11.5 billion in damages in 2021 alone.

As we move into the last quarter of the year, it’s important to remain vigilant against ransomware threats, even if they are frequently in the news. Last year saw a number of high-profile ransomware operations, including LockBit 3.0, and BlackMatter. These groups continue to evolve their tactics and techniques, and it’s important to stay informed about their activities. In this report, we will focus on Pandora ransomware, examining their methods and impact on businesses and organizations.

The Pandora ransomware was discovered in February 2022. Pandora ransomware targets corporate networks for financial gain and uses double extortion to increase pressure on the victim.

After infiltrating the target system, appends the ”.pandora” file extension to the encrypted files and a ransom note named “Restore_My_Files.txt” is left in each encrypted directory with instructions on how to recover the data.

Executive Summary

In recent years, Pandora has made headlines for its use of advanced techniques such as double extortion, where it not only encrypts victims’ data but also threatens to leak sensitive information unless a ransom is paid. These tactics have made Pandora a particularly feared and reviled group among cybersecurity experts.

One of the key tactics that sets Pandora apart is its use of double extortion, where it not only encrypts victims’ data but also threatens to leak sensitive information unless a ransom is paid. This has made Pandora a particularly feared and reviled group among cybersecurity experts, as it puts pressure
on organizations to pay the ransom in order to protect their reputation and customer trust.

In addition to double extortion, Pandora has also been known to use other advanced techniques such as exploiting vulnerabilities and using custom encryption algorithms to evade detection. The group is also known for its highly targeted attacks, often conducting extensive research on its victims before launching an attack.

Despite the efforts of law enforcement and cybersecurity firms to disrupt its operations, Pandora remains a formidable threat. In this report, we provide a comprehensive overview of Pandora’s history, tactics, and impact, as well as recommendations for organizations seeking to protect themselves from ransomware attacks. This includes measures such as regularly backing up data, implementing robust cybersecurity protocols, and staying up-to-date with the latest threats and vulnerabilities.

Scope of Pandora Ransomware

In the ”Scope” section, hashes of the analyzed ”Pandora Ransomware” sample are given.

File Name
1f172321dfc7445019313cbed4d5f3718a6c0638f2f310918665754a9e117733.exe

MD5  = f25e25832dad770c5f989c986770f9e6
SHA-1 = 2565983f765b76a183de4b6ee793b4903e40c505
SHA256 = 1f172321dfc7445019313cbed4d5f3718a6c0638f2f310918665754a9e117733

This blog post comes from the “Pandora Technical Ransomware Report” by the Brandefense CTI Analyst Team. For more details about the analysis, download the report.