Description

Pakistan is currently grappling with a sophisticated and strategically timed ransomware threat known as Blue Locker. Pakistan’s National Cyber Emergency Response Team (NCERT) has issued a high-alert warning, highlighting significant threats to 39 vital government ministries and organizations. This malware is not only hitting government operations but is also making deep inroads into the energy and tech sectors. Notably, its emergence coincided with the nation’s Independence Day on August 14, fueling speculation about a deliberate attempt to exploit national vulnerabilities during a symbolic moment. Among the confirmed victims is Pakistan Petroleum Limited (PPL), whose operations were temporarily paralyzed due to the breach. The attackers disabled IT systems, prompting an immediate forensic response and system recovery efforts. The ransomware, according to Resecurity, is deployed via PowerShell and is designed to bypass security controls, elevate access privileges, and spread through networks. It encrypts files with extensions like ".blue" or ".bulock16" and delivers ransom notes titled HOW_TO_BACK_FILES.html. Analysts found that the malware deliberately terminates Chrome processes to seize saved passwords, using an XOR-encoded variant of “Chrome.exe” to find and kill the process. This method effectively blocks recovery efforts by ensuring that credentials are locked down. Its encryption process involves both AES and RSA algorithms, and it smartly avoids essential system directories to maintain host stability for potential ransom negotiations. Initial evaluations tied Blue Locker to the Shinra malware, but deeper analysis pointed to a closer link with Proton ransomware, once associated with Iranian groups. As the source code is now accessible on the dark web, various actors may weaponize it for profit or political motives. Ongoing disinformation efforts further obscure attribution, making it harder to trace those truly behind the attack.