Linkc

MITRE ATT&CK does not currently catalogue Linkc, 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: linkc executes PowerShell scripts to stage payloads and manipulate system processes.

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

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

   What they do: linkc adds malicious registry run keys to ensure persistence across reboots.

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

3. T1685 Disable or Modify Tools Defense Impairment

   What they do: linkc disables antivirus tools by terminating security processes and modifying service configurations.

   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. T1027.016 Junk Code Insertion Stealth

   What they do: linkc inserts junk code into legitimate binaries to evade static malware analysis.

   What that means: Adversaries may use junk code / dead code to obfuscate a malware’s functionality.

5. T1070.004 File Deletion Stealth

   What they do: linkc deletes Volume Shadow Copies via vssadmin commands to prevent file recovery.

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

6. T1018 Remote System Discovery Discovery

   What they do: linkc uses SMB and RDP checks to map internal networks and identify lateral movement paths.

   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.

7. T1135 Network Share Discovery Discovery

   What they do: linkc scans network shares using net use commands to identify victim data for encryption targets.

   What that means: Adversaries may look for folders and drives shared on remote systems as a means of identifying sources of information to gather as a precursor for Collection and to identify potential systems of interest for Lateral Movement.

8. T1567.002 Exfiltration to Cloud Storage Exfiltration

   What they do: linkc exfiltrates stolen data via encrypted C2 channels before deploying ransomware.

   What that means: Adversaries may exfiltrate data to a cloud storage service rather than over their primary command and control channel.

9. T1486 Data Encrypted for Impact Impact

   What they do: linkc encrypts victim files using its own ransomware binary, targeting documents and backups for impact.

   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. T1490 Inhibit System Recovery Impact

    What they do: linkc invokes system shutdown commands to inhibit recovery and maximize operational disruption.

    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.

The note this group leaves on a compromised machine. Click a filename to read it.

Sensitive data on your network was exfiltrated and encrypted.

Please contact us for more information:

1) Get Tor Browser:
https://www.torproject.org/download

2) Log in to:
http://xs4psqhvekjle3qwyiav7dzccuo4ylw2eylvd3peuqrld74kzzjzhcyd.onion/?secret=[snip]

Ransom-note text from RansomLook, licensed CC BY 4.0.