Ensure the most current version of the Windows Server OS is being used on DCs. Threat actors often target and use DCs as a staging point to spread ransomware network-wide. Victims of ransomware should report to federal law enforcement via IC3 or a Secret Service Field Office, and can request technical assistance or provide information to help others by contacting CISA. Identify and prioritize critical systems for restoration and confirm the nature of data housed on impacted systems. 
Many ransomware infections are the result of existing malware infections such as TrickBot, Dridex, or Emotet. Prioritize restoration and recovery based on a predefined critical asset list that includes information systems critical for health and safety, revenue generation, or other critical services, as well as systems they depend on.
Public Safety Emergency Communications Resources. Federal agencies remain vigilant in maintaining awareness of ransomware attacks and associated tactics, techniques, and procedures across the country and around the world. Additionally, collect any relevant logs as well as samples of any precursor malware binaries and associated observables or indicators of compromise (e.g., suspected command and control IP addresses, suspicious registry entries, or other relevant files detected).
Outside-in persistence may include authenticated access to external systems via rogue accounts, backdoors on perimeter systems, exploitation of external vulnerabilities, etc.
We understand attacks can severely impact business processes and leave organizations without the data needed to operate and deliver mission-critical services.
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Keep track of systems and devices that are not perceived to be impacted so they can be deprioritized for restoration and recovery. CISA, MS-ISAC, and other federal law enforcement do not recommend paying ransom. CISA recommends the following DC Group Policy settings: The Kerberos default protocol is recommended for authentication, but if it is not used, enable NTLM auditing to ensure that only NTLMv2 responses are being sent across the network. If a third party or MSP is responsible for maintaining and securing your organizations backups, ensure they are following the applicable best practices outlined above.
Ransomware is an ever-evolving form of malware designed to encrypt files on a device, rendering any files and the systems that rely on them unusable.
Take a system image and memory capture of a sample of affected devices (e.g., workstations and servers). In recent years, ransomware incidents have become increasingly prevalent among the Nations state, local, tribal, and territorial (SLTT) government entities and critical infrastructure organizations. If no initial mitigation actions appear possible: Take care to preserve evidence that is highly volatile in nature - or limited in retention - to prevent loss or tampering (e.g., system memory, Windows Security logs, data in firewall log buffers).
Baseline and analyze network activity over a period of months to determine behavioral patterns, Business transaction loggingsuch as logging activity related to specific or critical, Information sharing with CISA and MS-ISAC (for SLTT organizations) includes bi-directional sharing of best practices and network defense information regarding ransomware trends and variants as well as malware that is a precursor to ransomware.
The contacts below may be able to assist you in performing these tasks. Malicious actors then demand ransom in exchange for decryption. Understand that adversaries may exploit the trusted relationships your organization has with third parties and MSPs. Enable additional protections for Local Security Authentication to prevent code injection capable of acquiring credentials from the system. Additionally, turn on automatic updates for both solutions. Update servers with internet connectivity can be used to pull necessary updates in lieu of allowing internet access for DCs. Should your organization be a victim of ransomware, CISA strongly recommends responding by using the following checklist.
Likewise, NIST'sRansomware Protection and Response provides information on response and recovery.
Upon voluntary request, federal asset response includes providing technical assistance to affected entities to protect their assets, mitigate vulnerabilities, and reduce impacts of cyber incidents while identifying other entities that may be at risk, assessing potential risks to the sector or region, facilitating information sharing and operational coordination, and providing guidance on how to best use federal resources and capabilities. Document lessons learned from the incident and associated response activities to inform updates toand refineorganizational policies, plans, and procedures and guide future exercises of the same. Understand which data or systems are most critical for health and safety, revenue generation, or other critical services, as well as any associated interdependencies (i.e., critical asset or system list). Use Active Directory configuration guides, such as those available from Microsoft (https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-server/identity/ad-ds/plan/security-best-practices/best-practices-forsecuring-active-directory), when configuring available security features. Set up centralized log management using a security information and event management tool. Remember: The Joint CISA MS-ISAC Ransomware guide states, Paying ransom will not ensure your data is decrypted or that your systems or data will no longer be compromised. A ransomware infection may be evidence of a previous, unresolved network compromise. Assistance in conducting a criminal investigation, which may involve collecting incident artifacts, to include system images and malware samples. This includes the application of critical patches as soon as possible. The following list contains high-level suggestions on how best to secure a DC: Ensure that DCs are regularly patched. Review file properties of encrypted files or ransom notes to identify specific users that may be associated with file ownership.
This enables your organization to get back to business in a more efficient manner.
Enable application directory allowlisting through Microsoft Software Restriction Policy or AppLocker. org/system/files/documents/Public-Power-Cyber-Incident-Response-Playbook.pdf, APTs Targeting IT Service Provider Customers | CISA, Microsoft Office 365 Security Recommendations | CISA, CIS Hardware and Software Asset Tracking Spreadsheet (cisecurity.org), Security Primer Ransomware (cisecurity.org), https://www.fbi.gov/contact-us/field-offices, https://www.secretservice.gov/contact/field-offices. Create, maintain, and exercise a basic cyber incident response plan and associated communications plan that includes response and notification procedures for a ransomware incident. Logs from PowerShell prior to version 5.0 are either non-existent or do not record enough detail to aid in enterprise monitoring and incident response activities. Conduct organization-wide phishing tests to gauge user awareness and reinforce the importance of identifying potentially malicious emails.
Retain backup hardware to rebuild systems in the event rebuilding the primary system is not preferred. Relevant stakeholders may include your IT department, managed security service providers, cyber insurance company, and departmental or elected leaders. Logs can be analyzed to determine the impact of events and ascertain whether an incident has occurred. To continue taking steps and mitigating the ransomware incident, please see the Ransomware Guide for more information. Consider implementing an intrusion detection system (IDS) to detect command and control activity and other potentially malicious network activity that occurs prior to ransomware deployment. 
The diagram should include depictions of covered major networks, any specific IP addressing schemes, and the general network topology (including network connections, interdependencies, and access granted to third parties or MSPs). This supports triage and remediation of cybersecurity events. 
Take care to preserve evidence that is highly volatile in natureor limited in retentionto prevent loss or tampering (e.g., system memory, Windows Security logs, data in firewall log buffers). This entails maintaining image templates that include a preconfigured operating system (OS) and associated software applications that can be quickly deployed to rebuild a system, such as a virtual machine or server. Identification may involve deployment of endpoint detection and response solutions, audits of local and domain accounts, examination of data found in centralized logging systems, or deeper forensic analysis of specific systems once movement within the environment has been mapped out. An official website of the United States government. Have you been hit by ransomware? Access to DCs should be restricted to the Administrators group. If several systems or subnets appear impacted, take the network offline at the switch level.
Security features are better integrated in newer versions of Windows Server OSs, including Active Directory security features. If several systems or subnets appear impacted, take the network offline at the switch level. Be sure to isolate systems in a coordinated manner and use out-of-band communication methods like phone calls or other means to avoid tipping off actors that they have been discovered and that mitigation actions are being undertaken.
Use the MS-ISAC Hardware and Software Asset Tracking Spreadsheet: Restrict usage of PowerShell, using Group Policy, to specific users on a case-by-case basis. PowerShell logs contain valuable data, including historical OS and registry interaction and possible tactics, techniques, and procedures of a threat actors PowerShell use. Ensure antivirus and anti-malware software and signatures are up to date. These resources are designed to help individuals and organizations prevent attacks that can severely impact business processes and leave organizations without the data they need to operate and deliver mission-critical services. Consult federal law enforcement regarding possible decryptors available, as security researchers have already broken the encryption algorithms for some ransomware variants. Ransomware incidents can severely impact business processes and leave organizations without the data they need to operate and deliver mission-critical services. If you are using passwords, use strong passwords (.
Using the contact information below, engage your internal and external teams and stakeholders with an understanding of what they can provide to help you mitigate, respond to, and recover from the incident. 
Restrict user permissions to install and run software applications.
In recent months, ransomware has dominated the headlines, but incidents among the Nations state, local, tribal, and territorial (SLTT) government entities and critical infrastructure organizations have been growing for years.
MSPs have been an infection vector for ransomware impacting client organizations. Leverage best practices and enable security settings in association with cloud environments, such as Microsoft Office 365 (. Maintaining offline, current backups is most critical because there is no need to pay a ransom for data that is readily accessible to your organization. Hardware that is newer or older than the primary system can present installation or compatibility hurdles when rebuilding from images. In addition, attackers have begun following their ransom demands to decrypt the data with a follow on extortion demand to keep data private.. Backup procedures should be conducted on a regular basis. Keep management and senior leaders informed via regular updates as the situation develops. The Ransomware Response Checklist, which forms the other half of this Ransomware Guide, serves as an adaptable, ransomware-specific annex to organizational cyber incident response or disruption plans. Use directory allowlisting rather than attempting to list every possible permutation of applications in a network environment. Limit the ability of a local administrator account to log in from a local interactive session (e.g., Deny access to this computer from the network.) and prevent access via an RDP session. Maintain regularly updated gold images of critical systems in the event they need to be rebuilt. For example, disable ports and protocols that are not being used for a business purpose (e.g., Remote Desktop Protocol [RDP] Transmission Control Protocol [TCP] Port 3389).
See figures 2 and 3 for depictions of a flat (unsegmented) network and of a best practice segmented network. Based on this specific threat, organizations should consider the following actions to protect their networks: Disable SMBv1 and v2 on your internal network after working to mitigate any existing dependencies (on the part of existing systems or applications) that may break when disabled. 
Malicious actors will sometimes use this access to exfiltrate data and then threaten to release the data publicly before ransoming the network in an attempt to further extort the victim and pressure them into paying. It is important that backups be maintained offline as many ransomware variants attempt to find and delete any accessible backups. It may not be feasible to disconnect individual systems during an incident. Usually, these systems do not have a valid need for direct internet access.
Users within this group should be limited and have separate accounts used for day-to-day operations with non-administrative permissions. Audit the network for systems using RDP, close unused RDP ports, enforce account lockouts after a specified number of attempts, apply multi-factor authentication (MFA), and log RDP login attempts. Victims of ransomware should report to federal law enforcement viaIC3 or a Secret Service Field Office, and can request technical assistance or provide information to help others by contacting CISA. Maintain offline, encrypted backups of data and regularly test your backups.
See CISAs APTs Targeting IT Service Provider Customers (. Prioritize timely patching of internet-facing serversas well as software processing internet data, such as web browsers, browser plugins, and document readersfor known vulnerabilities. Review the Windows Security log, SMB event logs, and, Run Wireshark on the impacted server with a filter to.
These logs should be checked on a regular basis to confirm whether the log data has been deleted or logging has been turned off. 
Confer with your team to develop and document an initial understanding of what has occurred based on initial analysis. Consider disabling macro scripts for Microsoft Office files transmitted via email. Update PowerShell instances to version 5.0 or later and uninstall all earlier PowerShell versions. Typically, only those users or administrators who manage the network or Windows OSs should be permitted to use PowerShell. Take into consideration the risk management and cyber hygiene practices of third parties or managed service providers (MSPs) your organization relies on to meet its mission.
Operators of these advanced malware variants will often sell access to a network. It is more efficient to rebuild from system images, but some images will not install on different hardware or platforms correctly; having separate access to needed software will help in these cases. Remove dependencies through upgrades and reconfiguration: Upgrade to SMBv3 (or most current version) along with SMB signing. Employ logical or physical means of network segmentation to separate various business unit or departmental IT resources within your organization as well as to maintain separation between IT and operational technology. An official website of the United States government. Based on the breach or compromise details determined above, contain any associated systems that may be used for further or continued unauthorized access. They include Energy, Food, Healthcare, and Information Technology some of the sectors targeted in recent high profile cyber attacks. Threat actors often seek out privileged accounts to leverage to help saturate networks with ransomware.
A ransomware event may be evidence of a previous, unresolved network compromise. and logs. Triage impacted systems for restoration and recovery. Ransomware incidents can severely impact business processes and leave organizations without the data they need to operate and deliver mission-critical services.
Apply these practices to the greatest extent possible based on availability of organizational resources.
For example, if a new Virtual Local Area Network has been created for recovery purposes, ensure only clean systems are added to it. It should be carried out only if it is not possible to temporarily shut down the network or disconnect affected hosts from the network using other means. Conduct an examination of existing organizational detection or prevention systems (antivirus, Endpoint Detection & Response, IDS, Intrusion Prevention System, etc.) We also encourage you to take a look at some of the other resources made available by interagency partners, namely NIST at the Department of Commerce, as well as the National Cyber Investigative Joint Task Force.
The monetary value of ransom demands has also increased, with some demands exceeding US $1 million. Retain and adequately secure logs from both network devices and local hosts.
Remove unnecessary accounts and groups and restrict root access. Ransomware actors often target and threaten to sell or leak exfiltrated data or authentication information if the ransom is not paid. DMARC builds on the widely deployed sender policy framework and Domain Keys Identified Mail protocols, adding a reporting function that allows senders and receivers to improve and monitor protection of the domain from fraudulent email. Ransomware incidents have become more destructive and impactful in nature and scope.
Audit user accounts regularly, particularly Remote Monitoring and Management accounts that are publicly accessiblethis includes audits of third-party access given to MSPs. SMB signing should be enforced throughout the entire domain as an added protection against these attacks elsewhere in the environment. The two logs that record PowerShell activity are the PowerShell Windows Event Log and the PowerShell Operational Log.
This enables detection of both precursor malware and ransomware.
The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) strongly recommends responding to ransomware by using the following checklist provided in a Joint CISA and Multi-State Information Sharing and Analysis Center (MS-ISAC) Ransomware Guide.
It should be carried out only if it is not possible to temporarily shut down the network or disconnect affected hosts from the network using other means. Ransomware: What It Is and What to Do About It (CISA): General ransomware guidance for organizational leadership and more in-depth information for CISOs and technical staff: Ransomware (CISA): Introduction to ransomware, notable links to CISA products on protecting networks, specific ransomware threats, and other resources: Security Primer Ransomware (MS-ISAC): Outlines opportunistic and strategic ransomware campaigns, common infection vectors, and best practice recommendations: Ransomware: Facts, Threats, and Countermeasures (MSISAC):Facts about ransomware, infection vectors, ransomwarecapabilities, and how to mitigate the risk of ransomwareinfection: Security Primer Ryuk (MS-ISAC): Overview of Ryuk ransomware, a prevalent ransomware variant in the SLTT government sector, that includes information regarding preparedness steps organizations can take to guard against infection: Determine which systems were impacted, and immediately isolate them. Employ best practices for use of RDP and other remote desktop services. Breaches often involve mass credential exfiltration. Note: Step 2 will prevent you from maintaining ransomware infection artifacts and potential evidence stored in volatile memory. Join an information sharing organization, such as one of the following: Multi-State Information Sharing and Analysis Center (MS-ISAC): Election Infrastructure Information Sharing and Analysis Center (EI-ISAC): Sector-based ISACs - National Council of ISACs: Information Sharing and Analysis Organization (ISAO) Standards Organization: Engage CISA to build a lasting partnership and collaborate on information sharing, best practices, assessments, exercises, and more: Engaging with your ISAC, ISAO, and with CISA will enable your organization to receive critical information and access to services to better manage the risk posed by ransomware and other cyber threats.
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