{
  "family": "bitcovar",
  "sample_count": 1,
  "category": "ransomware",
  "description": "Ransomware:Win32/Bitcovar is a classification indicating the presence of a ransomware payload or a precursor trojan specifically designed to facilitate a ransomware infection. Its primary objective is to encrypt the victim's files using strong cryptographic algorithms (`T1486`) and extort cryptocurrency (like Bitcoin) in exchange for the decryption key, causing severe operational disruption and financial loss.<br><br><b>Understanding Bitcovar (Ransomware)</b><br>To an end-user, a Bitcovar infection is catastrophic. They will suddenly find their documents, photos, and databases inaccessible, often appended with a new, random file extension, accompanied by a stark 'Ransom Note' on the desktop. For an organization, it represents a critical incident requiring immediate network isolation to prevent the ransomware from spreading to file shares and other endpoints.<br><br><b>Execution and Encryption Mechanics</b><br>Bitcovar is typically delivered via phishing campaigns containing weaponized attachments, or manually deployed by attackers who have compromised the network via exposed RDP ports. Upon execution, it often deletes Volume Shadow Copies (`vssadmin.exe delete shadows`) (`T1490`) to prevent easy data recovery. It then rapidly traverses local drives and mapped network shares, utilizing algorithms like AES or ChaCha20 to encrypt files. The malware generates a unique encryption key for the victim, which is then encrypted with the attacker's public RSA key and sent to the C2 server, ensuring only the attacker holds the private key required for decryption.<br><br><b>Indicators of Compromise & Impact</b><br>The impact is the total loss of data availability. Host-based IoCs are highly visible: the sudden renaming of thousands of files, the presence of ransom notes (e.g., `DECRYPT_FILES.txt` or `.html`), and EDR alerts for rapid, high-volume file modification operations. System logs will show the execution of commands designed to inhibit system recovery (`vssadmin`, `bcdedit`). Network IoCs include a brief burst of traffic to a C2 server (often over Tor or to compromised domains) as the malware reports the infection and transmits the victim's unique ID.",
  "cta": "Published by the SystemHelpdesk team.",
  "aliases": [],
  "enrichment_level": "expert-seo",
  "faq": [],
  "faq_count": 0,
  "mitre_attack": [
    "T1012",
    "T1490",
    "T1486"
  ],
  "cisa_advisory": null,
  "last_updated": "2026-06-09",
  "mitre_attack_detail": [
    {
      "id": "T1486",
      "name": "Data Encrypted for Impact (The core function of the ransomware)",
      "tactic": "Impact"
    },
    {
      "id": "T1490",
      "name": "Inhibit System Recovery (Deleting Shadow Copies to prevent restoration)",
      "tactic": "Impact"
    },
    {
      "id": "T1012",
      "name": "Query Registry (Identifying mounted drives and network shares to encrypt)",
      "tactic": "Discovery"
    }
  ],
  "containment_steps": [
    "Isolate the infected machine from the network immediately—pull the ethernet cable or disable the Wi-Fi adapter to stop the encryption from spreading to network shares.",
    "Do not immediately reboot the machine; if the encryption process is active, rebooting may finalize the damage or destroy volatile memory keys.",
    "Identify the initial infection vector (e.g., phishing email, exposed RDP) to prevent further compromise.",
    "Restore operations from known-good, offline backups; paying the ransom is highly discouraged as it funds criminal enterprises and does not guarantee data recovery."
  ],
  "what_to_avoid": [
    "Do not connect backup drives to the infected machine until it has been completely wiped and reimaged, as the ransomware will encrypt the backups.",
    "Avoid communicating directly with the attackers without the assistance of professional incident responders or law enforcement."
  ],
  "target_industries": [
    "Global / Opportunistic"
  ],
  "motivation": "Opportunistic",
  "threat_actors": [
    "Unknown / Cybercriminal"
  ],
  "target_geographies": [
    "Global"
  ]
}