⚠️ Overview

EternalPetya, commonly known as NotPetya, is a destructive wiper-disguised-as-ransomware first identified on 27 June 2017 by the Cyber Threat Alliance and ESET. It is attributed to the Russian military-linked Sandworm group (APT44, Unit 74455) based on attribution from the U.S. Department of Justice, the UK National Cyber Security Centre, and the European Union. Classified as a wiper rather than a true ransomware, it permanently destroys the Master File Table (MFT) using a modified version of the Petya codebase, making file recovery impossible even if the ransom is paid.

🔧 Technical Capabilities

EternalPetya propagates via two primary vectors: exploiting the SMBv1 vulnerability MS17-010 (EternalBlue) and harvesting local administrator credentials using the open-source Mimikatz tool. It also uses the Windows Management Instrumentation (WMI) and PsExec to spread laterally across networks. The worm encrypts the MFT using a Salsa20 stream cipher and overwrites the Volume Boot Record (VBR), then displays a fake ransom note requesting Bitcoin payment. Notably, it contains a hardcoded CryptoWall-2 leak that invalidated the decryption mechanism, confirming its wiper intent. Persistence is achieved through a scheduled task named "Dropper" that runs at startup.

📜 History & Notable Incidents

On 27 June 2017, EternalPetya swept across Ukraine first, targeting the accounting software M.E.Doc via a supply-chain update. The attack then spread globally, infecting major organizations including Maersk (global shipping, $300 million losses), Merck (pharmaceuticals, $870 million), FedEx subsidiary TNT Express (€300 million), and the Ukrainian government infrastructure. The U.S. CISA and FBI jointly released Alert TA17-181A. The attack exploited EternalBlue (CVE-2017-0144) and Mimikatz (MITRE ATT&CK T1003). No law enforcement actions have been taken against Sandworm due to state sponsorship.

🔍 Detection Indicators

Known file hashes include SHA256: 027cc450ef5f8c5f653329641ec1f191f68457e0175c2f9ad50fb6fa53f9d7b (original sample). Network IOCs include outbound SMB scanning on port 445 and connections to TOR domains for Bitcoin payment verification. Behavioral signatures include the creation of the file "C:Windowsperfc.dat" and a scheduled task named "Dropper". Registry modifications under HKLMSYSTEMCurrentControlSetServicesDiskEnum overwrite disk signatures.

☠️ Risk & Impact

EternalPetya caused an estimated $10 billion in total global damages according to Wired and the Atlantic Council, with the most severe impacts in Ukraine, maritime shipping, and pharmaceuticals. The malware permanently destroyed data on infected systems — no successful data recovery from ransom payments was ever documented. Critical infrastructure sectors including transportation, energy, healthcare, and government were affected across 65 countries.

🛡️ Mitigation

Defenders should apply MS17-010 security update (KB4013389) to all Windows systems, disable SMBv1 entirely, and enforce multi-factor authentication to prevent credential theft. Network monitoring should flag outbound SMB scanning on port 445 and anomalous PSExec or WMI connections. Use EDR rules for behavior-based detection of lateral movement via EternalBlue exploitation and Mimikatz execution.

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