{
  "family": "rakhni",
  "sample_count": 1,
  "category": "ransomware",
  "description": "<h3>Executive Summary</h3>\nRakhni is a notorious and highly versatile malware family that originally emerged as Ransomware but evolved into a multifaceted threat capable of acting as both a crypto-locker and a persistent Cryptocurrency Miner. Developed in Delphi, Rakhni is particularly dangerous because it dynamically assesses the infected environment, choosing whether to deploy ransomware or a stealthy cryptominer based on the target's perceived value and processing power.\n\n<h3>Infection Vector and Dynamic Execution</h3>\nRakhni is predominantly distributed via massive spam campaigns containing malicious attachments (often disguised as PDFs or Office documents containing macro exploits) or via exploit kits.\n\nUpon execution, Rakhni performs a series of environmental checks that dictate its behavior:\n<ul>\n<li><strong>The Decision Matrix:</strong> The malware checks for the presence of a specific folder (often related to Bitcoin Core). If it finds evidence of high-value cryptocurrency activity, it will likely deploy the Ransomware module. If the machine appears to be a standard workstation with sufficient CPU power, it will deploy the Cryptominer (typically XMRig for mining Monero) to generate long-term, stealthy income.</li>\n<li><strong>Ransomware Operations:</strong> If triggered, the ransomware module encrypts a wide range of files using strong cryptography, appending specific extensions (like `.locked` or `.rakhni`) to the files, and drops a ransom note demanding payment.</li>\n<li><strong>Cryptomining Operations:</strong> If the miner is deployed, Rakhni establishes persistence, often utilizing process hollowing to inject the XMRig mining payload into legitimate Windows processes (like `svchost.exe`) to hide its CPU usage from casual inspection.</li>\n</ul>\n\n<h3>Threat Assessment</h3>\nA Rakhni infection is a severe incident with dual implications. The ransomware payload causes immediate, catastrophic data loss and operational downtime. The cryptomining payload, while stealthier, severely degrades system performance, increases hardware wear, and indicates a critical failure in endpoint security controls.\n\n<h3>Remediation and Eradication</h3>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Endpoint Isolation:</strong> Isolate the infected endpoint immediately to sever communication with the attacker's C2 infrastructure (halting both encryption key exchange and cryptomining pool communication).</li>\n<li><strong>Decryption Tools:</strong> Rakhni is one of the older ransomware families, and significant flaws were found in its cryptography. Free decryption tools (often provided by Kaspersky or the \"No More Ransom\" project) are available for many variants of Rakhni. <strong>Do not pay the ransom.</strong></li>\n<li><strong>Complete System Re-image:</strong> Whether acting as ransomware or a miner, Rakhni establishes deep persistence and often drops secondary malware. A complete wipe and re-image of the system is the recommended remediation strategy.</li>\n</ul>",
  "cta": "Published by the SystemHelpdesk team.",
  "aliases": [
    "Trojan-Ransom.Win32.Rakhni",
    "CoinMiner.Rakhni",
    "Win32/Rakhni"
  ],
  "enrichment_level": "insufficient_information",
  "faq": [],
  "faq_count": 0,
  "mitre_attack": [
    "T1486",
    "T1496",
    "T1055.012"
  ],
  "cisa_advisory": null,
  "last_updated": "2026-07-01T16:39:01Z",
  "type": "Ransomware / Cryptominer",
  "target_industries": [
    "Global / Opportunistic"
  ],
  "motivation": "Opportunistic",
  "threat_actors": [
    "Unknown / Cybercriminal"
  ],
  "target_geographies": [
    "Global"
  ]
}