Tridentlocker

MITRE ATT&CK does not currently catalogue Tridentlocker, 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: tridentlocker executes malicious commands via 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: tridentlocker persists via Registry Run Keys to automatically launch ransomware components 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.

3. T1685 Disable or Modify Tools Defense Impairment

   What they do: tridentlocker disables antivirus tools and modifies security software configurations to evade detection during 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.

4. T1027.013 Encrypted/Encoded File Stealth

   What they do: tridentlocker encodes ransomware binaries and configuration data to evade static analysis and sandbox detection.

   What that means: Adversaries may encrypt or encode files to obfuscate strings, bytes, and other specific patterns to impede detection.

5. T1070.004 File Deletion Stealth

   What they do: tridentlocker deletes Volume Shadow Copies and backup directories via command-line utilities to prevent data recovery.

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

6. T1135 Network Share Discovery Discovery

   What they do: tridentlocker scans network shares using native tools to identify victim file structures 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.

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

   What they do: tridentlocker moves laterally through SMB/Windows Admin Shares to compromise additional networked systems.

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

8. T1486 Data Encrypted for Impact Impact

   What they do: tridentlocker encrypts victim files using custom symmetric encryption routines to maximize impact and ransom demand leverage.

   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: tridentlocker halts system recovery processes by terminating critical services and blocking restore mechanisms.

   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.

10. T1491.001 Internal Defacement Impact

    What they do: tridentlocker displays internal defacement messages and ransom notes on victim systems to pressure decryption.

    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.