{
  "family": "sage",
  "sample_count": 3,
  "category": "ransomware",
  "description": "Ransomware:Win32/Sage (specifically known as Sage 2.0) is a highly destructive crypto-ransomware family that gained significant notoriety in early 2017. A variant of the notorious CryLocker family, Sage is designed to systematically encrypt the victim's data and demand a ransom in Bitcoin, heavily utilizing the Tor network to anonymize its payment infrastructure and communications.<br><br><b>Understanding Sage (Ransomware)</b><br>To an end-user, a Sage infection is a nightmare scenario. Their desktop wallpaper is changed to a threatening ransom note, and all personal and business files are appended with the `.sage` extension, rendering them completely inaccessible. For an Incident Response team, Sage represents a critical failure in initial defenses, requiring immediate containment to prevent lateral movement across network shares (`T1083`).<br><br><b>Execution and Encryption Mechanics</b><br>Sage is primarily distributed via massive, localized malspam campaigns (`T1566.001`), often using weaponized Word documents with malicious macros, or disguised within ZIP archives. Upon execution, it disables Windows Automatic Repair (`T1490`) and deletes all Volume Shadow Copies (`vssadmin.exe Delete Shadows /All /Quiet`) to prevent easy data recovery. It then initiates a rapid encryption routine (`T1486`), using strong cryptography (often ChaCha20 and RSA) to lock files. Crucially, Sage uses Tor (`T1090.003`) to communicate with its C2 servers, passing the victim's unique ID and receiving the public encryption key, ensuring the attacker's infrastructure remains hidden.<br><br><b>Indicators of Compromise & Impact</b><br>The impact is catastrophic data loss. Host-based IoCs are glaringly obvious: mass file modifications, the presence of files ending in `.sage`, and the appearance of ransom notes like `!Recovery_[random_string].html`. EDR telemetry will show the execution of `vssadmin.exe` and `bcdedit.exe`. Network IoCs will reveal the compromised endpoint attempting to resolve `.onion` addresses or connecting to known Tor exit nodes.",
  "cta": "Published by the SystemHelpdesk team.",
  "aliases": [],
  "enrichment_level": "expert-seo",
  "faq": [],
  "faq_count": 0,
  "mitre_attack": [
    "T1486",
    "T1490",
    "T1566.001",
    "T1090.003"
  ],
  "cisa_advisory": null,
  "last_updated": "2026-06-09",
  "mitre_attack_detail": [
    {
      "id": "T1486",
      "name": "Data Encrypted for Impact (Ransomware)",
      "tactic": "Impact"
    },
    {
      "id": "T1490",
      "name": "Inhibit System Recovery (Deleting Volume Shadow Copies)",
      "tactic": "Impact"
    },
    {
      "id": "T1090.003",
      "name": "Proxy: Multi-hop Proxy (Tor Network for C2)",
      "tactic": "Command and Control"
    },
    {
      "id": "T1566.001",
      "name": "Phishing: Spearphishing Attachment",
      "tactic": "Initial Access"
    }
  ],
  "containment_steps": [
    "Immediately sever the infected endpoint's network connection (unplug ethernet, disable Wi-Fi) to stop Sage from encrypting connected network drives.",
    "Do not reboot the machine if encryption is actively in progress, as the decryption keys may temporarily reside in memory.",
    "Identify and secure all unaffected backups immediately to ensure they are not compromised by lateral movement.",
    "Format the infected drive and rebuild the system from a clean, trusted image."
  ],
  "what_to_avoid": [
    "Do not pay the ransom. Paying provides no guarantee of data recovery and funds further cybercriminal operations.",
    "Avoid connecting external drives to the infected machine for forensics until it is completely isolated, as the ransomware will encrypt them instantly."
  ],
  "target_industries": [
    "Global / Opportunistic"
  ],
  "motivation": "Opportunistic",
  "threat_actors": [
    "Unknown / Cybercriminal"
  ],
  "target_geographies": [
    "Global"
  ]
}