What is Play Ransomware?
The Play ransomware group, also known as PlayCrypt, has made quite a name for itself, pulling off over 300 successful attacks since June 2022. This group is notorious for its disruptive tactics, hitting big U.S. Local Gov departments like Oakland, Lowell (Massachusetts), and Dallas County, causing major disruptions and data breaches that took days to sort out. They've even gone international, sparking alerts in Switzerland after stealing data from an IT provider.
How Play Ransomware Operates?
Image 1: Play Ransomware’s Victims
Emerging in 2022, Play ransomware quickly advanced its capabilities, targeting high-value sectors with a sophisticated infrastructure of leak sites and distributed Command-and-Control (C2) servers. Its calculated approach prioritises organisations with cyber insurance, using advanced initial access techniques, lateral movement, and layered extortion tactics, such as strategic data leaks and refined negotiations, to increase ransom payment pressure.
Play employs custom encryption, anti-analysis features, and complex evasion tactics like anti-debugging and process hiding bypassing EDR protection. Often sharing infrastructure with state-sponsored actors, Play ransomware’s robust C2 network and obfuscation techniques make it highly resilient and challenging to detect.
What are the Tactics, Techniques, and Procedures (TTPs) of Play Ransomware?
- Unique Negotiation Style: Play ransomware directly contacts victims via email, avoiding upfront ransom demands. They employ "double extortion," stealing data before encrypting systems, often leveraging vulnerabilities in FortiOS and Microsoft software.
- Ransom and Extortion Tactics: Ransom demands, typically in cryptocurrency, are pressured by threats to leak data on the dark web. Victims recognise Play ransomware by the ".play" file extension, and the group uses tools to disable antivirus protection and exfiltrate data.
- State-Actor Connections: Play shows clear links to North Korean APT groups, sharing infrastructure, server configurations, and targeting methods, especially in the healthcare sector.
- Infrastructure and C2: They operate shared Command-and-Control (C2) servers, like IP 68.235.184[.]54, indicative of North Korean coordination.
- Technical and Vulnerability Exploits: Play ransomware exploits Microsoft Exchange (ProxyNotShell, OWASSRF) vulnerabilities and deploys DPRK-linked malware, mimicking tactics used by UNC4899.
- Healthcare Targeting: Prioritises healthcare organisations, often coordinating attacks across multiple victims for maximal disruption.
- Persistence and Control: Gains initial access through CVE-2022-41082 and CVE-2022-41040, deploying web shells, Cobalt Strike beacons, and PowerShell commands for persistent control.
- Lateral Movement: Uses registry modifications, scheduled tasks, and admin shares, with BitLocker encryption and Volume Shadow Copy deletion to enhance data impact.
- Advanced Tools and Evasion: Utilises custom web shells, Remote Access Tools (RATs), and North Korean malware for sophisticated access and evasion.
- Coordinated Operations: Play’s shared infrastructure and timing with DPRK actors suggest strategic collaboration, reinforcing the need for robust defence and threat intelligence.
- These TTPs illustrate Play ransomware’s complex operations and its state-linked sophistication, underlining the need for advanced security measures.
What is the Kill Chain of Play Ransomware?
Image 2: Play Ransomware’s TTPs and Kill Chain
The Play ransomware kill chain, structured through the MITRE ATT&CK framework, initiates with exploitation of public-facing applications, phishing, and stolen credentials to gain initial access. It then executes malicious commands via PowerShell and APIs, establishes persistence with web shells, and escalates privileges through token manipulation and domain policy changes.
Defence evasion includes disabling security tools and obfuscating files. Play accesses credentials for lateral movement, maps the environment, and spreads through RDP and admin shares. Data collection is followed by encrypted C2 communication using proxies and tunnelling. Exfiltration occurs over C2 channels and alternative protocols, while the impact phase sees data encryption, system recovery inhibition, and potential data destruction for maximum ransom leverage.
How does Red Piranha Detect and Prevent attacks of Play Ransomware?
Red Piranha’s Threat Detection, Investigation, and Response (TDIR) solution effectively counters the advanced tactics of Play ransomware by combining real-time threat intelligence, network traffic analysis, and endpoint monitoring to detect initial access attempts, such as exploits and phishing.
Its continuous monitoring and encrypted metadata analysis identify malicious C2 communications. TDIR detects persistence techniques like web shells and registry modifications, while SOAR (Security Orchestration, Automation, and Response) capabilities automatically isolate affected systems, halting lateral movement and unauthorised credential use across the network.
Defence evasion attempts, such as disabling security tools and obfuscation, are neutralised by anomaly-based detection, and automated playbooks quickly escalate incidents to Red Piranha’s SOC. By monitoring for data exfiltration through C2 channels, employing PCAP analysis, and retaining data for 18 months, TDIR prevents data theft and aids in forensic investigations.
Proactive threat hunting, effective incident response, and continuous threat intelligence keep TDIR aligned with emerging Play ransomware techniques, ensuring robust protection, rapid adaptation, and reduced attacker dwell time—all without infrastructure overhauls or costly IR retainers.
Red Piranha’s Crystal Eye TDIR platform leverages a multi-layered defence approach to counter the TTPs used by Play ransomware. With integrated Cyber Threat Intelligence (CTI) and machine learning-driven anomaly detection, Crystal Eye enhances visibility to detect suspicious activities early in the attack.
Its Network Detection and Response (NDR) continuously monitors traffic for signs of Play ransomware’s tactics, such as lateral movement and data exfiltration. Through a Zero Trust architecture with micro-segmentation, Crystal Eye limits unauthorised access, preventing Play ransomware from spreading and reducing the network’s attack surface.
The platform’s advanced detection capabilities, including 24/7 monitoring and proactive threat hunting, help capture key Play ransomware tactics like phishing, C2 communications, and exploitation of vulnerabilities in tools like Microsoft Exchange.
Automated response actions allow Crystal Eye to mitigate potential impact swiftly, halting unauthorised registry modifications, disabling C2 connections, and isolating affected systems. Play ransomware’s known techniques—such as exploitation of vulnerabilities, use of Cobalt Strike, and data exfiltration—are thwarted by Crystal Eye’s capabilities in East-West Traffic Control, PCAP analysis, and continuous monitoring of network activities.
With robust NDR, Crystal Eye uses machine learning and rule-based analytics to detect threats and covert malicious activities linked to Play ransomware. By enforcing secure network segmentation through Zero Trust principles, the platform minimises data exfiltration risks. Rapid SOC support further aids in containment and incident response, ensuring comprehensive defence and lowering overall ransomware impact.
To sum up, Crystal Eye, best-in-class Threat Detection, Investigation and Response (TDIR) offers a robust, multi-faceted approach to detecting and preventing the Play ransomware group’s tactics. Its layered defences—ranging from real-time threat intelligence and network traffic monitoring to automated response and in-depth forensics—provide organisations with comprehensive protection against complex, state-aligned ransomware attacks.
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