Kryptos

MITRE ATT&CK does not currently catalogue Kryptos, so this is our assessment of the techniques it uses, drawn from public reporting. The techniques themselves, and every "what that means" definition below, come from MITRE ATT&CK v19.2. Confidence: medium. Treat it as orientation, not attribution.

1. T1059.001 PowerShell Execution

   What they do: kryptos uses PowerShell scripts to execute malicious commands and deploy ransomware payloads across compromised systems.

   What that means: Adversaries may abuse PowerShell commands and scripts for execution.

2. T1547.001 Registry Run Keys / Startup Folder PersistencePrivilege Escalation

   What they do: kryptos modifies Windows Registry Run Keys to ensure ransomware execution persists across reboots.

   What that means: Adversaries may achieve persistence by adding a program to a startup folder or referencing it with a Registry run key.

3. T1685 Disable or Modify Tools Defense Impairment

   What they do: kryptos disables antivirus tools and security software to prevent detection and hinder system recovery efforts.

   What that means: Adversaries may disable, degrade, or tamper with security tools or applications (e.g., endpoint detection and response (EDR) tools, intrusion detection systems (IDS), antivirus, logging agents, sensors, etc.) to impair or reduce visibility of defensive capabilities.

4. T1070.004 File Deletion Stealth

   What they do: kryptos deletes Volume Shadow Copies and backup files via vssadmin to eliminate recovery options for victims.

   What that means: Adversaries may delete files left behind by the actions of their intrusion activity.

5. T1003.001 LSASS Memory Credential Access

   What they do: kryptos accesses LSASS memory to steal credentials for lateral movement and privilege escalation.

   What that means: Adversaries may attempt to access credential material stored in the process memory of the Local Security Authority Subsystem Service (LSASS).

6. T1135 Network Share Discovery Discovery

   What they do: kryptos scans network shares to discover victim file structures and identify high-value data for encryption.

   What that means: Adversaries may look for folders and drives shared on remote systems as a means of identifying sources of information to gather as a precursor for Collection and to identify potential systems of interest for Lateral Movement.

7. T1021.002 SMB/Windows Admin Shares Lateral Movement

   What they do: kryptos exploits SMB/Windows Admin Shares to move laterally between networked machines within victim environments.

   What that means: Adversaries may use Valid Accounts to interact with a remote network share using Server Message Block (SMB).

8. T1567.002 Exfiltration to Cloud Storage Exfiltration

   What they do: kryptos exfiltrates sensitive victim data before encryption to increase leverage and demand higher ransom payments.

   What that means: Adversaries may exfiltrate data to a cloud storage service rather than over their primary command and control channel.

9. T1486 Data Encrypted for Impact Impact

   What they do: kryptos encrypts victim files using strong symmetric cryptography, rendering business data inaccessible without payment.

   What that means: Adversaries may encrypt data on target systems or on large numbers of systems in a network to interrupt availability to system and network resources.