From Wiper to Ransomware | The Evolution of Agrius
A new threat actor SentinelLabs track as Agrius was observed operating in Israel beginning in 2020. An analysis of what at first sight appeared to be a ransomware attack revealed new variants of wipers that were deployed in a set of destructive attacks against Israeli targets. The operators behind the attacks intentionally masked their activity as ransomware attacks.
One of the wipers used in the attack, dubbed ‘Apostle’, was later turned into a fully functional ransomware, replacing its wiper functionalities. The message inside it suggests it was used to target a critical, nation-owned facility in the United Arab Emirates. The similarity to its wiper version, as well as the nature of the target in the context of regional disputes, leads us to believe that the operators behind it are utilizing ransomware for its disruptive capabilities.
The usage of ransomware as a disruptive tool is usually hard to prove, as it is difficult to determine a threat actor’s intentions. Analysis of the Apostle malware provides a rare insight into such attacks, drawing a clear line between what began as a wiper malware to a fully operational ransomware.
