Blackout

MITRE ATT&CK does not currently catalogue Blackout, so this is our assessment of the techniques it uses, drawn from public reporting. The techniques themselves, and every "what that means" definition below, come from MITRE ATT&CK v19.2. Confidence: medium. Treat it as orientation, not attribution.

1. T1059.001 PowerShell Execution

   What they do: blackout executes PowerShell scripts to stage payloads and manipulate system processes during initial compromise.

   What that means: Adversaries may abuse PowerShell commands and scripts for execution.

2. T1106 Native API Execution

   What they do: blackout leverages native API calls to bypass detection while executing malicious functions across victim systems.

   What that means: Adversaries may interact with the native OS application programming interface (API) to execute behaviors.

3. T1547.001 Registry Run Keys / Startup Folder PersistencePrivilege Escalation

   What they do: blackout modifies registry run keys to maintain persistence by launching malicious payloads on system startup.

   What that means: Adversaries may achieve persistence by adding a program to a startup folder or referencing it with a Registry run key.

4. T1685 Disable or Modify Tools Defense Impairment

   What they do: blackout disables antivirus tools and security software using specific command patterns to ensure ransomware execution.

   What that means: Adversaries may disable, degrade, or tamper with security tools or applications (e.g., endpoint detection and response (EDR) tools, intrusion detection systems (IDS), antivirus, logging agents, sensors, etc.) to impair or reduce visibility of defensive capabilities.

5. T1688 Safe Mode Boot Defense Impairment

   What they do: blackout manipulates boot sequences to disable recovery mechanisms and enforce impact during system startup.

   What that means: Adversaries may abuse Windows safe mode to disable endpoint defenses.

6. T1070.004 File Deletion Stealth

   What they do: blackout deletes Volume Shadow Copies and backup directories via vssadmin and system commands to prevent recovery.

   What that means: Adversaries may delete files left behind by the actions of their intrusion activity.

7. T1018 Remote System Discovery Discovery

   What they do: blackout performs remote system discovery to identify exposed services in telecommunications and healthcare environments.

   What that means: Adversaries may attempt to get a listing of other systems by IP address, hostname, or other logical identifier on a network that may be used for Lateral Movement from the current system.

8. T1021.002 SMB/Windows Admin Shares Lateral Movement

   What they do: blackout moves laterally through SMB shares to encrypt files across networked manufacturing and IT systems.

   What that means: Adversaries may use Valid Accounts to interact with a remote network share using Server Message Block (SMB).

9. T1486 Data Encrypted for Impact Impact

   What they do: blackout encrypts victim files using custom symmetric encryption routines targeting critical healthcare and engineering data.

   What that means: Adversaries may encrypt data on target systems or on large numbers of systems in a network to interrupt availability to system and network resources.

10. T1491.001 Internal Defacement Impact

    What they do: blackout displays internal defacement messages alongside encrypted files to pressure victims into payment.

    What that means: An adversary may deface systems internal to an organization in an attempt to intimidate or mislead users, thus discrediting the integrity of the systems.