🪤 What initially looked like a new
#NanoCore RAT variant turned out to be something unusual: a NanoCore-branded RAT with experimental
#ransomware features — distributed under different names, but sharing the same broken crypto and even the same Satoshi wallet as the “ransom” address.
@Threatray’s code similarity engine helped connect the dots.
The “ransomware” component appears non-functional. The BTC wallet 1A1zP1eP5QGefi2DMPTfTL5SLmv7DivfNa is Satoshi’s genesis address. The hardcoded AES IV NanoCoreIV67890 is 15 bytes (AES requires 16), so the encryption routine fails under standard execution. The contact email nanocore@onion.com also doesn’t resolve.
Code similarity revealed a cluster of .NET samples from the same author under namespaces like ExtremeMalware, ExtremeRansomwareBotnet, and HighlyDetectableMalware — all reusing the same flawed crypto and ransom note. Indicators include an EventLog source named RansomwareSimulation, .encrypted files containing the literal string "FAKE", and beacons to AV test domains like
wicar.org and
zeltser.com.
This points to a single development effort with reused components across multiple samples.
🧬 Find the
#IOCs here:
github.com/threatray/threat-…