New MortalKombat ransomware targets systems in the U.S.

The attacks observed by the Talos researchers focused mainly on the United States, with some victims also in the UK, Turkey, and the Philippines. The email contains a malicious ZIP attachment containing a BAT loader script that downloads a second archive from a remote resource. This archive contains one of the two malware payloads. The loader script will execute the downloaded payload as a process in the compromised system and then delete the downloaded files to minimize the chances of detection. The email message carries a malicious ZIP attachment that contains a BAT loader script, that when opened, downloads a second archive from a remote resource. This archive contains one of the two malware payloads. The loader script will execute the downloaded payload as a process in the compromised system and then delete the downloaded files to minimize chances of detection. MortalKombat is a Xorist ransomware variant first discovered in January 2023, named after the popular fighting video game and featuring a ransom note/wallpaper that includes art from the franchise. Talos analysts report that the particular ransomware isn't very sophisticated as it will target system files and applications too, which are commonly avoided to prevent the system from becoming unstable. The wallpaper acts as a ransom note, instructing the victim to use the qTOX Tor-based instant messaging app to negotiate with the cybercriminals who demand payment in Bitcoin. The attacker also provides a ProtonMail email address if the victim has trouble registering a new account on qTOX. Although MortalKombat does not feature wiper functionality, it corrupts system folders like the Recycle Bin so that the victims cannot retrieve files from there, disables the Windows Run command window, and removes all entries from Windows startup. Moreover, the ransomware fiddles with the Windows registry, creating a Run registry key ("Alcmeter") for persistence while deleting the installed application's root registry key in the HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT registry hive. The HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT hive stores information about file associations, commands, and icons used for each file type, so deleting these entries means the applications can no longer function.