Malware analyst Michael Gillespie was the person who, for the first time, discovered the White rabbit virus, which belongs to the ransomware type of infection. Harmful software of this type encrypts all the data on your computer (photos, documents, excel tables, audio files, videos, etc) and appends its extra extension to every file.
Fun fact: the bytes in the ASCII art are actually UTF-16 0x81 "High Octet Preset" bytes… aka "HOP" 😅 pic.twitter.com/nX6fmP132i
— Michael Gillespie (@demonslay335) December 14, 2021
What is known about the White rabbitvirus?
☝️ A scientifically accurate designation for the White rabbit is “a ransomware-type infection”.
White rabbit will append its specific .scrypt extension to the name of every encrypted file. For instance, a file entitled “photo.jpg” will be altered to “photo.jpg.scrypt”. In the same manner, the Excel file with the name “table.xlsx” will be altered to “table.xlsx.scrypt”, and so forth.
The ransom note most probably contains a description of how to purchase the decryption tool from the tamperers. That is how they do it.
White rabbit outline:
| Name | White rabbit Virus |
| Extension | .scrypt |
| Detection | MSIL/TrojanDownloader.Agent.ISI, Trojan.Zbot.100366, MSIL/TrojanDownloader.Agent.JFP |
| Symptoms | Your files (photos, videos, documents) have a .scrypt extension and you can’t open them. |
| Fix Tool | See If Your System Has Been Affected by White rabbit virus |
The note accompanying the White rabbit ransomware states the following:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
HELLO [redacted]
If you are reading this message, means that:
- your network infrastructures have been compromised,
- critical data has leaked,
- files are encrypted
â”â”â”â”â”â”â”â”â”â”â”â”â”â”â”â”â”â”â”â”â”â”â”â”â”â”â”â”â”â”â”â”â”â”â”â”â”â”â”â”â”â”â”â”â”â”â”â”┓
┃ Welcome to the Ransom House ┃
┃ You are locked by ┃
┃ W H I T E R A B B I T ┃
┃ Knock, Knock. Follow the White Rabbit... ┃
┃ ┃
┃ (\(\ ┃
┃ (-.-) ┃
┃ (")(") ┃
┃ ┃
â”—â”â”â”â”â”â”â”â”â”â”â”â”â”â”â”â”â”â”â”â”â”â”â”â”â”â”â”â”â”â”â”â”â”â”â”â”â”â”â”â”â”â”â”â”â”â”â”â”›
The best and only thing you can do is to contact us
to settle the matter before any losses occurs.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
1. THE FOLLOWING IS STRICTLY FORBIDDEN
1.1 DELETION THIS NOTE.
Each note carries the encryption key
needed to decrypt the data,
don't lose it
1.2 EDITING FILES OR HDD.
Renaming, copying or moving any files
could DAMAGE the cypher and
decryption will be impossible.
1.3 USING THIRD-PARTY SOFTWARE.
Trying to recover with any software
can also break the cipher and
file recovery will become a problem.
1.4 SHUTDOWN OR RESTART THE PC.
Boot and recovery errors can also damage the cipher.
Sorry about that, but doing so is entirely at your own risk.
1.5 HIRING THE FBI AND OTHERS
Cooperating with the FBI|CIA and so on
and involving their officers in negotiations
will end our communication with you
and we will share all the leaked data for free.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2. EXPLANATION OF THE SITUATION
2.1 HOW DID THIS HAPPEN
The security of your IT perimeter has been compromised (it's not perfect at all).
We encrypted your workstations and servers to make the fact of the intrusion visible and to prevent you from hiding critical data leaks.
We spent a lot of time for researching and finding out the most important directories of your business, your weak points.
We have already downloaded a huge amount of critical data and analyzed it. Now it's fate is up to you, it will either be deleted or sold, or shared with the media.
2.2 VALUABLE DATA WE USUALLY STEAL:
- Databases, legal documents, billings, clients personal information, SSN...
- Audit reports
- Any financial documents (Statements, invoices, accounting, transfers etc.)
- work files and corporate correspondence
- Any backups
2.3 TO DO LIST (best practies)
- Contact us as soon as possible
- Contact us only in our chat, otherwise you can run into scammers.
- Purchase our decryption tool and decrypt your files. There is no other way to do this.
- Realize that dealing with us is the shortest way to the success and secrecy.
- Give up the idea of using decryption help programs, otherwise you will destroy the system permanently
- Avoid any third-party negotiators and recovery groups. They can allow the event to leak.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
3. POSSIBLE DECISIONS
3.1 NOT MAKING THE DEAL
- After 4 days starting tomorrow your leaked data will be published or sold.
- We will also send the data to all interested supervisory organizations and the media.
- Decryption key will be deleted permanently and recovery will be impossible.
- Losses from the situation will be measured based on your annual budget
3.2 MAKING THE WIN-WIN DEAL
- You will get the Decryption Tool and the Manual how-to-use.
- You will get our guarantee and log of non-recovarable deletion of all your data.
- You will get the guarantee of secrecy and deletion of all traces of the deal in internet.
- You will get the security report on how to fix your security breaches.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
4. EVIDENCE OF THE LEAKAGE
4.1 SCREENSHOTS:
[redacted]
[redacted]
[redacted]
[redacted]
[redacted]
4.2 DB sample: https://file.io/[redacted]
https://file.io/[redacted]
Password:[redacted]
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
5. HOW TO CONTACT US
5.1 Download and install TOR Browser https://torproject.org
5.2 Open our live-chat website at [redacted]
5.3 To review leaked data at temporarily server get the ftp access in our live chat
5.4 If the TOR Browser is restricted in your area then use VPN services
5.5 All your Data will be published in 4 Days in the case of silence on your side
5.6 Your Decryption keys will be permanently destroyed synchronous 5.5
5.7 Your Data will be published if you will hire third-party negotiators to contact us
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
6. RESPONSIBILITY
6.1 The breaking of critical points of this offer will cause:
- deletion of your decryption keys
- immediate selling of your data
- in the case of non-selling we will publish your data for free
- notification of government supervision agencies, your competitors and clients
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
7. Encryption Key
---BEGIN KEY---
[redacted 256 bytes base64]
---END KEY---
In the screenshot below, you can see what a directory with files encrypted by the White rabbit looks like. Each filename has the “.scrypt” extension appended to it.
That is how encrypted “.scrypt” files look.
How did White rabbit ransomware end up on my PC?
There is a huge number of possible ways of ransomware infiltration.
There are currently three most popular ways for evil-doers to have ransomware acting in your digital environment. These are email spam, Trojan infiltration and peer file transfer.
If you open your mailbox and see letters that look just like notifications from utility services providers, delivery agencies like FedEx, web-access providers, and whatnot, but whose sender is strange to you, beware of opening those emails. They are most likely to have a ransomware item attached to them. Therefore, it is even more dangerous to open any attachments that come with letters like these.
As for the peer networks like torrents or eMule, the threat is that they are even more trust-based than the rest of the Web. You can never know what you download until you get it. So you’d better be using trustworthy websites. Also, it is a good idea to scan the folder containing the downloaded objects with the antivirus as soon as the downloading is complete.
How to remove the White rabbit virus?
It is important to inform you that besides encrypting your files, the White rabbit virus will probably deploy the Azorult Spyware on your PC to seize your credentials to various accounts (including cryptocurrency wallets). That program can derive your credentials from your browser’s auto-filling data.
Sometimes criminals would unblock several of your files to prove that they really have the decryption tool. As White rabbit virus is a relatively new ransomware, safety measures designers have not yet found a way to reverse its work. However, the decryption tools are frequently updated, so the effective countermeasure may soon arrive.
Understandably, if the hackers succeed in encrypting victim’s essential data, the hopeless person will most likely comply with their demands. However, paying to criminals does not necessarily mean that you’re getting your blocked information back. It is still risky. After receiving the ransom, the racketeers may send a wrong decryption code to the injured party. There were reports of criminals just disappearing after getting the ransom without even bothering to reply.
The best safety measure against ransomware is to have a system restore point or the copies of your critical files in the cloud storage or at least on an external disk. Of course, that might be insufficient. Your most crucial thing could be that file you were working upon when it all started. But at least it is something. It is also reasonable to scan your drives with the anti-malware utility after the system is rolled back.
There are other ransomware products, besides White rabbit, that work similarly. Examples of those are Futm, Rigj, Pqgs, and some others. The two main differences between them and the White rabbit are the ransom amount and the method of encryption. The rest is the same: files become encoded, their extensions altered, ransom notes are found in each folder containing encrypted files.
Some fortunate users were able to decode the blocked files with the help of the free software provided by anti-ransomware specialists. Sometimes the hackers accidentally send the decryption key to the victims in the ransom readme. Such an extraordinary fail allows the user to restore the files. But naturally, one should never expect such a chance. Remember, ransomware is a bandits’ instrument to pull the money out of their victims.
How to avert ransomware injection?
White rabbit ransomware has no endless power, neither does any similar malware.
You can armour your PC from its infiltration taking several easy steps:
- Ignore any letters from unknown mailboxes with strange addresses, or with content that has nothing to do with something you are expecting (can you win in a money prize draw without even taking part in it?). In case the email subject is likely something you are expecting, scrutinize all elements of the dubious letter with caution. A fake email will surely contain a mistake.
- Avoid using cracked or unknown programs. Trojan viruses are often spreaded as an element of cracked software, most likely under the guise of “patch” to prevent the license check. Understandably, dubious programs are difficult to tell from reliable ones, as trojans sometimes have the functionality you seek. Try to find information about this program on the anti-malware message boards, but the optimal solution is not to use such software.
Reasons why I would recommend GridinSoft2
Download Removal Tool.
Run the setup file.
Press “Install” button.
Once installed, Anti-Malware will automatically run.
Wait for the Anti-Malware scan to complete.
Click on “Clean Now”.
FAQ
🤔 How can I open “.scrypt” files?Are the “.scrypt” files accessible?
There’s no way to do it, unless the files “.scrypt” files are decrypted.
🤔 What should I do to make my files accessible as fast as possible?
It’s good if you have fаr-sightedly saved copies of these important files elsewhere. In case you haven’t, there is still a chance that you do have a Restore Point from some time ago to roll back the whole system to the moment when it had no virus yet, but already had your files. There are other ways to beat ransomware, but they take time.
🤔 What to do if the White rabbit malware has blocked my computer and I can’t get the activation code.
🤔 What could help the situation right now?
Some of the blocked files can be found elsewhere.
- If you sent or received your important files via email, you could still download them from your online mailbox.
- You might have shared images or videos with your friends or relatives. Simply ask them to post those images back to you.
- If you have initially downloaded any of your files from the Internet, you can try doing it again.
- Your messengers, social networks pages, and cloud disks might have all those files as well.
- Maybe you still have the needed files on your old PC, a portable device, mobile, flash memory, etc.
HINT: You can use file recovery programs4 to retrieve your lost information since ransomware encodes the copies of your files, removing the original ones. In the tutorial below, you can learn how to use PhotoRec for such a restoration, but remember: you won’t be able to do it before you remove the ransomware itself with an antivirus program.
Also, you can contact the following governmental fraud and scam sites to report this attack:
- In the United States: On Guard Online;
- In Canada: Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre;
- In the United Kingdom: Action Fraud;
- In Australia: SCAMwatch;
- In New Zealand: Consumer Affairs Scams;
- In France: Agence nationale de la sécurité des systèmes d’information;
- In Germany: Bundesamt für Sicherheit in der Informationstechnik;
- In Ireland: An Garda Síochána;
To report the attack, you can contact local executive boards. For instance, if you live in USA, you can have a talk with FBI Local field office, IC3 or Secret Service.
I need your help to share this article.
It is your turn to help other people. I have written this guide to help users like you. You can use the buttons below to share this on your favorite social media Facebook, Twitter, or Reddit.
Brendan SmithReferences
- Here’s the list of Top 10 Data Recovery Software Of 2023.
Leave a Comment