What Is BlackByte Ransomware and How To Safeguard Against It?

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the United States Secret Service (USSS) collaborated on this joint Cybersecurity Advisory to provide information on the BlackByte ransomware. BlackByte ransomware had infected the many US and overseas enterprises as of November 2021, including at least three important infrastructure sectors in the US (government facilities, finance, and food and agricultural).

What Is BlackByte Ransomware

BlackByte is a ransomware-as-a-service (RaaS) group that encrypts files on infected Windows host systems, including physical and virtual servers.

What Is The Modus Operandi Of Blackbyte Ransomware?

BlackByte ransomware works in two ways, direct attack and the other is ransomware as a service version that is run by other criminals who have paid the malware writers to utilize their software tools. And, like many malware products, it takes advantage of the ability to infect a computer’s boot sector which means switching off your PC and restarting it.

BlackByte can infiltrate your organization by targeting Microsoft Exchange servers. Any business can be severely harmed by the loss of an email network, but Exchange is particularly vulnerable since so many firms are still using earlier versions. Because upgrading Exchange isn’t a straightforward or quick procedure, many IT administrators are still utilizing the 2013 and 2016 versions.

The BlackByte ransomware encrypts files and generates a ransom note (the “BlackByte restoremyfiles.hta” file) with directions on how to contact the attackers for data recovery and other information. The “.blackbyte” extension is also appended to the names of encrypted files by BlackByte. For example, “1.jpg” becomes “1.jpg.blackbyte,” “2.jpg” becomes “2.jpg.blackbyte,” and so on. This ransom note was generated by cybercriminals to notify victims that their documents, databases, and other items have been encrypted.

Victims must acquire a decryption tool to decode their files. Contacting cybercriminals via the [email protected] email address will provide instructions on how to acquire a decryption tool. To demonstrate that the BlackByte ransomware perpetrators can decrypt files, they are offering to unlock two files for free.

Recent Example of BlackByte Attack

The San Francisco 49ers football team was recently attacked by BlackByte operators who claim to have gotten financial data from them. According to the joint alert, several victims discovered that the attackers gained initial access to their environments by exploiting a known Microsoft Exchange Server vulnerability. Before collecting and encrypting data, the ransomware operators used tools that allowed them to move laterally on the network and sought to escalate access.

How Do PCs Become Infected With Ransomware?

To spread malware, cybercriminals utilize Trojans, emails, dubious sources for obtaining files or programs, software cracking tools, and phony software updaters. When Trojans are installed on a computer, they can infect it. The majority of Trojans masquerade as legitimate programs. Malicious Microsoft Office documents, executable files (like EXE), JavaScript files, PDF documents, and other items are included in malware-delivery emails. By opening files downloaded from, or through emails used for malware spread, recipients infect their systems.

Users are tricked into downloading and opening malicious files by using untrustworthy sources for downloading files and programs. Cracking software is designed to allow you to activate licensed software for free (in an illegal way). A significant portion of these programs is intended to infect computers with malware. Instead of upgrading or correcting software, fake software updaters cause damage by exploiting bugs, holes in outdated software, or simply infecting machines.

What Can Businesses Do To Safeguard Themselves?

Here are a few strategies you can adopt to safeguard your business against BlackByte Ransomware.

1. If you’re using a vulnerable version of Exchange, you should apply the various Microsoft fixes as soon as possible. Better better, you should devise a strategy to upgrade to the most recent Exchange version or migrate to Office365 or Google Workspace as soon as possible.
2. Make sure your backups are up to date and can be used to restore your servers.
3. isolated your Exchange server on a separate network segment to reduce the risk of email-borne threats. This is what many organizations have done in the past, and it’s the reason why BlackByte didn’t wreck the entire network architecture.
4. If you are affected, you should utilize the decryption key created for a prior BlackByte assault to decode the data. While this is a smart step, there’s no guarantee that this key will work if attackers use a newer version of the malware.
5. Most important, isolate the machine/device on which you have detected the ransomware.
6. Use Official Websites, to download apps, and updates.
7. Use a Real-Time Antivirus to keep your PC safe & secure.

Bonus: Systweak Antivirus To Fight Against Malware

Systweak Antivirus protects your computer in real-time against all forms of malicious threats. It also includes the StopAllAds browser plugin, which filters unwanted advertisements and safeguards the computer by preventing malware and other types of malicious software from being downloaded or accessed. Systweak Antivirus guards your computer against exploits around the clock, 365 days a year. It boosts the computer’s present performance by acting as a one-stop shop for all security needs.

Real-time security. Systweak Antivirus is one of the few antiviruses that can detect potential threats/apps based on how they behave on your computer.

It’s quite simple to use. This program has a user interface that is simple to use and can be used by everyone in your household.

Security in real-time. One of the few antivirus systems that can detect potential threats/apps based on how they behave on your computer is Systweak Antivirus.

Light-Weight. Software that consumes the fewest system resources is considered the best because it does not squander your CPU resources.

Safe and Secure. This application allows you to browse the internet while an ad blocker prevents you from seeing adverts.

Organize the Startup menu. Users can turn off components that slow down the computer’s startup time.

The Final Word On What Is BlackByte Ransomware and How To Safeguard Against It?

The precautions and safeguards mentioned above will help you to keep your PC safe up to a certain extent and greatly reduce the chances of your PC being infected by ransomware. Maintaining PC hygiene and keeping your computer updated will ensure that you remain safe and secure. Systweak Antivirus acts like an added advantage to all users as it can detect malware and potential threat activities on a real-time basis.

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