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Abyss Ransomware Decryption and Recovery
Under attack by ransomware or suffering a cyber breach?
Speed is critical when facing a live cyber attack. If you believe you’ve been compromised, by the Abyss ransomware group or another threat actor - contact us immediately.
About Abyss ransomware group
First appearing in late 2023, the Abyss ransomware group is a relatively new ransomware group known for its stealthy methods and advanced evasion techniques. It targets not only regular systems but also critical network devices, causing multiple incidents investigated across various sectors.
An infection by Abyss ransomware results in file encryption across affected systems, accompanied by a ransom note demanding payment, usually in cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin, to restore access and prevent the exposure of sensitive information.
What we can help with:
- Encrypted files & ransomware data recovery
- Incident response and containment
- Secure data restoration and system recovery
- Use of ransomware decryption tools and data recovery software
- Development of incident response plans and disaster recovery solutions
- Post-incident reviews and security hardening
Request a call back
If your organisation has been infected with ransomware contact us immediately.
How Abyss operators work
Abyss is a cybercrime operation that has quickly gained attention for its use of highly obfuscated code and tactics designed to evade detection by traditional security tools.
While much about the group’s origins remains unknown, threat researchers have observed that Abyss borrows techniques from several other ransomware operations, including custom-built loaders and lateral movement tools. Once the threat actor gained access to a target environment, Abyss moves laterally through internal network devices by exploiting vulnerabilities in local and domain accounts to expand control.
Abyss targets sectors such as manufacturing, logistics, and professional services, affecting victims from SMEs to large enterprises, primarily across Europe and North America. Its attacks typically involve data encryption paired with the theft of sensitive information, threatening the release of stolen data to coerce victims into paying ransom demands.
We are equipped to deal with an attack from any ransomware group.
Don’t hesitate to contact us if you are under attack from a ransomware group not listed above.
Recognising an Abyss attack
Abyss employs a double extortion strategy – meaning it not only encrypts files but also exfiltrates data to pressure organisations into paying. Victims are directed to a Tor-based leak site, where their information may be exposed if the ransom is not met. Abyss ransomware typically enters an environment through phishing emails, malicious attachments, or compromised remote desktop services. It often uses living-off-the-land techniques to move laterally and avoid triggering detection systems.
Why you must not interfere with your ransomware environment
If you discover a physical break-in at your offices, your first instinct would be to call the police; touch nothing and let them search for clues. Then, your focus would shift to restoring business operations.
A cyber-attack requires the same approach. Your digital environment is a CRIME SCENE. It is crucial to leave the environment untouched to allow for a forensic investigation.
This is not a task for your IT team or MSP. Digital Forensic specialists are available 24/7 to assist you, just like in a physical crime.
Known threat actors
Ransomware groups behind the attacks
Below is a breakdown of the most active ransomware groups and the variants driving their attacks.
Post breach actions
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Call a NCSC Cyber Incident Response approved supplier Some NCSC providers will fund up to 48 hours of investigation into your incident.
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Report the incident to Report Fraud
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Locate your business continuity plan Work out what you can do without access to your systems and data.
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Identify your business insurance contact details
Who are we and what experience do we have in responding to cyber incidents?
We are accredited to ISO 27001 and recognised by the UK’s National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC).
We provide comprehensive cyber risk management services, with a core focus on Digital Forensics and Incident Response (DFIR). Our capabilities are driven by a 24/7 Security Operations Centre and a dedicated in-house intelligence team that delivers timely, actionable threat reporting.
With decades of collective cyber security experience, we have the expertise to assume operational ownership of your entire IT security architecture – simplifying and strengthening cyber security across your business.
As an Assured Service Provider for Cyber Incident Response (CIR) at the Standard Level. This accreditation demonstrates our ability to deliver high-assurance, effective support in response to a wide range of cyber threats.
Your NCSC-approved supplier is a specialist crime scene investigator who will:
- Isolate and preserve your environment for forensic investigation.
- Identify where the data has been duplicated and issue a legal takedown order.
- Identify your data, application and systems restore points. These might be at different points in time and will need to be carefully restored and reconstructed in a pristine environment.
- Liaise with your business insurance company and if needed, with the Police.
- Advise you on notifying your customers of your situation.
- Rebuild your systems, restore your data and get you back to full operation. Note: This process can take between 2 weeks – 2 months.
Working with us
Our response process
Our team are ransomware recovery specialists with a proven, streamlined approach to resolving incidents quickly and effectively.
Step 1: Triage
We deploy our incident response team the same day. From the first call, we begin onboarding, introduce key stakeholders, set communication schedules, and start gathering critical information to guide the response.
Step 2: Investigation
DFIR (Digital Forensic Incident Response) teams investigate breaches to identify vulnerabilities, attack vectors, and system impacts from ransomware such as Data Loss (PII). We deliver clear forensic insights to guide mitigation.
Step 3: Contain
Our onsite and remote teams act fast to stop the attack in its tracks. That includes isolating affected systems, removing malicious code, and putting protections in place to prevent further spread or damage.
Step 4: Remediate & Eradicate
Once contained, we work to fully eliminate the threat. This includes fixing exploited vulnerabilities, restoring systems to a secure state, and ensuring no traces of the attack remain.
Step 5: Recover
Our incident response teams help get your business back to normal. We restore access to systems, recover data, and ensure services are safe, stable, and functioning, with minimal downtime.
Step 6: Post Incident
We conduct a full review of the incident response and recovery efforts. Together we assess what happened, what worked, and what can be improved, helping you build stronger defences for the future.
Forensic analysis to drive recovery
Our process includes a thorough digital forensic analysis from step two where the output becomes a central component of business recovery. This is because understanding the attack is of critical importance:
Informing an initial infection date
The extent and spread of infection
Data exfiltration having an impact on regulatory positions
Ensuring that the attacker and any tooling or artefacts they leave behind are eradicated
It is critical that the analysis of digital evidence is carried out to an agreed plan.
Maximising early root cause discovery and legal leverage
The process is purpose-built to uncover the root cause as early as possible, which is essential to inform remediation / eradication and recovery as well as supporting a legal take-down case if this is applicable. A legal take-down means we can assist in the legal enforcement that stops the criminals from publishing the data, thus undermining the ransom notice.
Our Digital Forensic and Incident Response (DFIR) teams maintain consistent communication throughout. Dedicated Incident Managers and technical engineering leads provide updates during the Cyber Incident Response journey, utilising risk registers and working within change management processes, all from triage through to post-incident, delivering successful business recovery.
Key take aways
- You will not be able to access your systems or data.
- It is advised to disconnect from the internet and shut down your systems, including PCs, to prevent further infections.
- Your Office 365 system might also be compromised, allowing the attackers to monitor your responses. Avoid communicating with individuals through your primary email or team systems.
- Threat actors typically infiltrate your system at least 2-4 weeks before you become aware of the attack. Your data will have already been exfiltrated. If your system is encrypted, this was not an overnight event.
- Ransom demands in the UK typically range from £500,000 to £3 million, with some sectors, like education, facing demands that exceed £5 million
- Paying the ransom may violate financial sanctions, which is a criminal offence and could result in a custodial sentence or further financial penalties.
- If your data is sold or published online, it puts your customers and staff at risk, potentially implicating you in a Data Protection breach.
- You will need to submit a data takedown request to the initial location where the data was transferred.
- Do not overwrite the encrypted data. It is crucial to determine when the infection began and where the data was sent.
- Avoid rebuilding from the latest backup, as it is likely to be infected.
Why should I trust Zensec to do this work rather than my IT team?
A forensic analysis needs to be meticulous and a clean restore and recovery requires a wealth of experience not normally available in an in-house team who must provide a broader range of IT support skills:
Internal IT teams don’t have the necessary skill set to resolve security encryption issues themselves.
IT teams may recover to the same position with indicators of compromise ready to do it again… which can lead to another breach.
Internal teams are pressured to restore business operations and may recover before forensic analysis even begins, potentially destroying the crime scene before completion.
We can help
Frequently asked questions
Key information when you’re under pressure.
Yes, Abyss is a type of ransomware that encrypts a victim’s data and demands payment, often in cryptocurrency, while threatening to leak stolen information if the ransom is not paid. Understanding the tactics and defense strategies used by Abyss is crucial for protecting against attacks and securing a compromised network.
Facing genuine pressure, there's a crucial decision to make - one that could rescue your organisation from weeks of operational standstill, reputation damage, and client data loss. Yet, the probability of a favourable outcome remains slim, emphasising the importance of engaging a specialised ransomware incident response team. They are your most viable recourse for navigating a ransomware incident.
The NCSC have documented the deliberations for paying ransomware: https://www.ncsc.gov.uk/ransomware/home
Important Reminder: It is a criminal offense to pay money to people who are subject to financial sanctions. The list of who is subject to financial sanctions is constantly changing.
The latest iteration can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/financial-sanctions-consolidated-list-of-targets
A ransomware attack presents the most significant threat to your business by:
- Disabling your access to systems, which could hinder machinery operation or impede progress through your business processes.
- Blocking access to critical data concerning suppliers, shipments, customers, orders, or steps in your business workflow.
In the event of a business interruption, identifying your position in the supply chain and sustaining operations can be challenging. If the disruption continues, maintaining business continuity becomes critical. Once systems and data are restored, addressing backlogs and establishing future operational protocols are essential.
Ransomware ranks only behind receivership in terms of its capacity to incapacitate a business.
The NCSC is the UK National Cyber Security Centre. They provide cyber security guidance and support, helping to make the UK the safest place to live and work online. They have defined a Cyber Incident Response procedure and they have approved and accredited suppliers to provide this service.
As a recognised Assured Service Provider by the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC), Zensec provide comprehensive cyber risk management services that are designed to Protect, Detect & Mitigate cyber security threats across the UK.
Report Fraud is the UK's national reporting centre for fraud and cybercrime. Whether you have been scammed, defrauded, or experienced cybercrime in England, Wales, or Northern Ireland, Report Fraud offers a central point of contact for information on fraud and financially motivated cybercrime.
https://www.reportfraud.police.uk/https://www.actionfraud.police.uk/
An Abyss ransomware attack generally enters a system through one of the following methods:
Phishing emails
Insecure Remote Desktop Protocols
Exploitation of an unpatched SonicWall VPN appliance
Once inside, Abyss ransomware can delete volume shadow copies and compromise system backups to prevent easy recovery. It may also modify system processes to maintain persistence and evade detection.
To protect your organisation, we recommend adopting the following policies:
Educate your staff on the importance of cybersecurity
Use strong passwords
Implement multi-factor authentication
Remove old or inactive users
Perform regular backups
Deploy timely updates to software and systems
After recovering from an Abyss attack, Zensec advises updating your business continuity plan to incorporate lessons learned during the attack and recovery process.
Yes. There's a possibility that some of the lost data contains "Personal Data" belonging to your customers. Safeguarding such data is a legal requirement, so it's important to consider notifying the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) about this incident, as well as your customers. https://ico.org.uk/
Your insurer or legal counsel will provide guidance on the necessary steps and how to proceed in this matter. However, Zensec has experience collaborating with insurers and legal representatives and can offer assistance in managing these relationships during this challenging period.
Yes, Abyss Locker ransomware and Abyss ransomware generally refer to the same threat. The term “Locker” usually emphasises the encryption (or “locking”) of files involved in an Abyss Locker ransomware intrusion, but it’s often dropped for simplicity. Both terms describe the same ransomware group or variant known as Abyss, which targets victims’ systems and sensitive data. Effective data recovery efforts are critical after an attack to restore access and mitigate damage.
Detecting Abyss ransomware early is vital to limit damage. Watch for unusual activity like sudden file encryption, spikes in network traffic, or unauthorised access to user accounts, domain accounts stored, and network resources. The loss of volume shadow copies or changes to system processes can also signal an attack.
Abyss is known for swift and decisive intrusions, often exploiting unpatched VPN appliances to gain further access and encrypt victims’ files.
If you suspect an attack:
Isolate affected systems immediately to stop lateral movement.
Preserve logs and evidence for investigation.
Contact cybersecurity experts to contain the breach.
Avoid paying the ransom, as it doesn’t guarantee recovery and may invite more attacks.
Restore data from secure backups that haven’t been compromised, ensuring strong backup security and protection of backup appliances.
Regularly patch systems and monitor for vulnerabilities to defend against Abyss ransomware effectively.
Dealing with a ransomware attack?
Our ransomware recovery service can help
Our expert team works quickly to contain the breach, recover your data, and restore your systems to full operation. We’ll guide you through every step of the recovery process and help strengthen your defences to prevent future attacks. Regain control with Zensec - trusted support when it matters most.