ExfilSquad

MITRE ATT&CK does not currently catalogue ExfilSquad, 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 v20.0. Confidence: medium. Treat it as orientation, not attribution.

1. T1059.001 PowerShell Execution

   What they do: ExfilSquad executes malicious payloads through PowerShell scripts stored in temporary directories to stage ransomware deployment.

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

2. T1112 Modify Registry PersistenceDefense Impairment

   What they do: ExfilSquad modifies Windows Registry Run keys and startup folders to maintain persistence across reboots.

   What that means: Adversaries may interact with the Windows Registry as part of a variety of other techniques to aid in defense evasion, persistence, and execution.

3. T1685 Disable or Modify Tools Defense Impairment

   What they do: ExfilSquad disables Windows Defender and AV tools by terminating security processes and modifying service configurations to evade detection.

   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.

4. T1070.004 File Deletion Stealth

   What they do: ExfilSquad deletes Volume Shadow Copy and backup artifacts via vssadmin commands to prevent recovery options.

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

5. T1083 File and Directory Discovery Discovery

   What they do: ExfilSquad uses file and directory discovery via PowerShell to enumerate critical data paths before targeting encryption.

   What that means: Adversaries may enumerate files and directories or may search in specific locations of a host or network share for certain information within a file system.

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

   What they do: ExfilSquad moves laterally through SMB/Windows Admin Shares using stolen credentials to compromise additional servers.

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

7. T1041 Exfiltration Over C2 Channel Exfiltration

   What they do: ExfilSquad exfiltrates stolen data via encrypted C2 channels using custom Python scripts over HTTPS endpoints.

   What that means: Adversaries may steal data by exfiltrating it over an existing command and control channel.

8. T1486 Data Encrypted for Impact Impact

   What they do: ExfilSquad encrypts victim files using AES-256 encryption with custom keys applied to corporate directories and databases.

   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.

9. T1490 Inhibit System Recovery Impact

   What they do: ExfilSquad inhibits system recovery by corrupting restore points and disabling backup service processes during impact phase.

   What that means: Adversaries may delete or remove built-in data and turn off services designed to aid in the recovery of a corrupted system to prevent recovery.