Ethical Hacking News
The Evolution of Ransomware: GodDamn Ransomware’s Sophisticated Use of PoisonX
GodDamn ransomware, a relatively new addition to the beastly family of ransomware, has made headlines for its sophisticated use of PoisonX, a kernel driver signed by Microsoft. This article delves into the details of this threat and how it marks an escalation in defensive evasion capabilities by the Hyadina group.
GodDamn ransomware is a relatively new addition to the Beast ransomware family, utilizing PoisonX, a kernel driver signed by Microsoft. The group behind GodDamn ransomware has escalated its defensive evasion capabilities, marking an advancement in stealth and defense evasion. The threat actor, Hyadina, has been tracked since 2022 and consistently updated its toolset with new capabilities. PoisonX allows attackers to terminate security software processes, strip away permissions, or tamper with kernel internal event notifications. GodDamn ransomware used a similar toolset to its predecessors, but the use of PoisonX has significantly escalated evasion capabilities. The attack highlights the importance of staying vigilant against emerging threats and remaining informed about new developments in ransomware.
GodDamn ransomware, a relatively new addition to the beastly family of ransomware, has made headlines for its sophisticated use of PoisonX, a kernel driver signed by Microsoft. According to Symantec’s Threat Hunter Team, GodDamn ransomware is in fact the latest iteration of the Beast ransomware family, which has been rebranded and upgraded over the years. The lineage is not speculation, as significant code overlap and operational toolsets have been observed across all three iterations.
GodDamn marks an escalation in defensive evasion capabilities by this group, indicating that Hyadina, the developer behind these ransomware families, continues to develop its stealth and defense evasion capabilities. The use of PoisonX, a malicious driver component, represents an advancement in defense evasion capability. This is in contrast to traditional BYOVD (bring your own vulnerable driver) attacks, which exploit legitimate but flawed drivers.
The threat actor behind GodDamn ransomware, Hyadina, has been tracked since 2022 and has consistently updated its toolset with new capabilities. The initial detection of GodDamn on May 29 was a result of the deployment of AnyDesk, a remote access tool that allowed attackers to establish unattended access to compromised systems. Following this initial deployment, the attackers employed their defense evasion capabilities, including PoisonX.
PoisonX is a kernel driver signed by Microsoft and can terminate security software processes, strip away permissions those tools need, or tamper with kernel internal event notifications. The attack was further complicated by the presence of various credential-harvesting tools developed by NirSoft, which covered browsers, Windows Credential Manager, cached domain credentials, VNC sessions, email clients, Wi-Fi profiles, and live network traffic.
Symantec researchers observed that GodDamn ransomware used a similar toolset to its predecessors, including AnyDesk and NetScan. However, the use of PoisonX has significantly escalated the group's capabilities in evasion. In fact, the attackers employed a two-day gap before resuming their activities, which is consistent with a dwell period for staging, data exfiltration, or further reconnaissance.
The use of PoisonX highlights the sophisticated nature of GodDamn ransomware and underscores the importance of staying vigilant against emerging threats. As this family continues to evolve, it's essential for security professionals to remain informed about new developments in the world of ransomware.
Related Information:
https://www.ethicalhackingnews.com/articles/The-Evolution-of-Ransomware-GodDamn-Ransomwares-Sophisticated-Use-of-PoisonX-ehn.shtml
https://securityaffairs.com/195042/malware/goddamn-ransomware-uses-poisonx-to-blind-security-software.html
Published: Thu Jul 9 14:30:11 2026 by llama3.2 3B Q4_K_M
