Security News GentleKiller Ransomware Abuses Vulnerable Drivers to Disable 400+ EDR Security Processes

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GentleKiller is an in-house EDR-killing framework with at least eight distinct variants, each impersonating a different legitimate security product and abusing a unique vulnerable or malicious kernel-level driver.

In total, GentleKiller targets more than 400 processes mapped to 48 security products, including industry leaders such as Microsoft Defender, CrowdStrike, SentinelOne, Sophos, Palo Alto Networks, ESET, Bitdefender, Kaspersky, and McAfee/Trellix.

The eight GentleKiller variants abuse drivers from Kaspersky (eb.sys), FACEIT Anti-Cheat (nseckrnl.sys), Valorant (GameDriverX64.sys), Javelin/Safetica (stpm_old.sys/stpm_new.sys), Zemana WatchDog (dmx.sys), Qihoo 360 (360netmon_wfp.sys), IObit (IMFForceDelete), and the PoisonX rootkit.

 
It's good that Avast is not vulnerable to this threat
Overall, GentleKiller targets more than 400 processes that the AI mapped to 48 products.
Table 2. A complete list of process names targeted by GentleKiller, mapped to their corresponding vendors

VendorTargeted processes
Acronisacronis_agent.exe, BackupAndRecoveryAgent.exe, managementagenthost.exe, mms.exe
AlienVaultalienvault-agent.exe, osqueryd.exe
AvastafwServ.exe, aswEngSrv.exe, aswidsagent.exe, aswToolsSvc.exe, AvastSvc.exe, AvastUI.exe, avastsvc.exe, avastui.exe, bccavsvc.exe, wsc_proxy.exe
AVGAVGUI.exe, AVGSvc.exe, avgnt.exe, avgsvca.exe, avgToolsSvc.exe
Binary DefenseBinaryDefenseAgent.exe
BitdefenderArrakis3.exe, BDAvScanner.exe, BDFsTray.exe, BDFileServer.exe, BDLived2.exe, BDLogger.exe, BDScheduler.exe, BDStatistics.exe, bdagent.exe, bdemsrv.exe, bdntwrk.exe, bdredline.exe, bdregsvr2.exe, bdservicehost.exe
BlumiraBlumiraAgent.exe
BromiumBromiumDaemon.exe, BrDifxapi.exe
Carbon Blackcb.exe, cbcomms.exe, cbdefense.exe, carbonsensor.exe, RepMgr.exe
Cisco Taloscfrutil.exe, CiscoAMPCEFWDriver.exe, cisco_amp_connector.exe, immunet.exe
CrowdStrikeARWSRVC.EXE, ARCUpdate.exe, CSFalconContainer.exe, CSFalconService.exe, CSFalconUI.exe, csfalcondataprotect.exe, csfalcondaterepair.exe, REPRSVC.EXE
CynetCynetEPS.exe, CynetMS.exe, CynetSvc.exe
CybereasonActiveConsole.exe, cybereason.exe, CybereasonActiveProbe.exe, CybereasonCR.exe
CyveraCyveraConsole.exe, CyveraService.exe, CyvrAgentSvc.exe, CyvrFsFlt.exe, cyvrfsflt.exe
Cylance/BlackBerryCylanceSvc.exe
DarktraceDarktraceTSA.exe
Deep InstinctDeepInstinct.exe, DeepInstinctService.exe, DIAgentService.exe
Elastica2guard.exe, a2service.exe
ESETeamonm.exe, eamsi.exe, ecls.exe, efwd.exe, egui.exe, eguiProxy.exe, ekrn.exe, ekrnEpfw.exe, ERAAgent.exe, EraAgentSvc.exe
Fortinetfiresvc.exe, firetray.exe, FortiTray.exe, fortiedr.exe, fw.exe
G DATAGDDServer.exe, QHPISVR.EXE, QUHLPSVC.EXE, SAPISSVC.EXE
HeimdalHeimdalsecurityAgent.exe
HuntressHuntressAgent.exe, HuntressRMM.exe
Kasperskyavp.exe, avpsus.exe, avpui.exe, kavfs.exe, kavfsscs.exe, kavfswh.exe, kavfswp.exe, kavtray.exe, klactprx.exe, klcsldcl.exe, klcsweb.exe, klnagent.exe, klnagchk.exe, klscctl.exe, klserver.exe, klwtblfs.exe, kpf4ss.exe, ksde.exe, ksdeui.exe, vapm.exe
LogRhythmLogProcessorService.exe
McAfee/TrellixAGMService.exe, AGSService.exe, masvc.exe, macmnsvc.exe, McAfeeAgent.exe, mcshield.exe, mfeann.exe, mfevtps.exe, mfetp.exe, mfeepehost.exe, mfefire.exe, mfemactl.exe, mfemacsvc.exe, mfemgr.exe, mfemms.exe, MgntSvc.exe, ModuleCoreService.exe, tepfsvc.exe
Microsoft DefenderMSASCui.exe, MSASCuiL.exe, MpDefenderCoreService.exe, MsMpEng.exe, MsMpSvc.exe, MsSense.exe, msascuil.exe, msseces.exe, NisSrv.exe, nissrv.exe, SecurityHealthService.exe, SecurityHealthSystray.exe, SenseCncProxy.exe, SenseIR.exe, SenseNdr.exe, SenseSampleUploader.exe, smartscreen.exe, windefend.exe
MorphisecMorphisecService.exe
Norton/SymantecccApp.exe, ccSvcHst.exe, ccsvchst.exe, ns.exe, nsservice.exe, nortonsecurity.exe, rtvscan.exe, SepMasterService.exe, sepWscSvc64.exe, smc.exe, SmcGui.exe, snac.exe, SymCorpUI.exe, SymWSC.exe
OSSEC/Wazuhossec-agent.exe, wazuh-agent.exe
Palo Alto Networks (Traps/Cortex)cortexService.exe, trapsagent.exe, trapsd.exe, Traps.exe
Panda Securitypanda_url_filtering.exe, pavfnsvr.exe, pavsrv.exe, psanhost.exe, PSANHost.EXE, pselamsvc.EXE, PSUAMain.EXE, PSUAService.EXE, pangps.exe
Qualysqualys-cloud-agent.exe, QualysAgent.exe
Rapid7ir_agent.exe, rapid7_endpoint.exe
Red CanaryRedCanaryAgent.exe
SangforCSAAgent.exe, CSAService.exe, SangforAgent.exe, SangforCSA.exe, SangforEDR.exe, SangforInterface.exe, SangforMonitor.exe, SangforProtect.exe, SangforService.exe, SangforTray.exe, SangforUD.exe
SentinelOneSentinel.exe, SentinelAgent.exe, SentinelAgentWorker.exe, SentinelCtl.exe, SentinelHelperService.exe, SentinelMemoryScanner.exe, SentinelPowerShellExtension.exe, SentinelRanger.exe, SentinelServiceHost.exe, SentinelStaticEngine.exe, SentinelStaticEngineScanner.exe, SentinelUI.exe
SonicWallSonicWallClientProtectionService.exe, swc_service.exe
Sophoshmpalert.exe, McsAgent.exe, McsClient.exe, SavApi.exe, SAVAdminService.exe, SAVService.exe, SEDService.exe, SophosADSyncService.exe, SophosClean.exe, SophosCleanM64.exe, SophosFIMService.exe, SophosFS.exe, SophosHealth.exe, SophosLiveQueryService.exe, SophosMTR.exe, SophosMTRExtension.exe, SophosNetFilter.exe, SophosNtpService.exe, SophosOsquery.exe, SophosOsqueryExtension.exe, Sophos.PolicyEvaluation.Service.exe, SophosSafestore64.exe, SophosUI.exe, SophosUpdateMgr.exe, sophosav.exe, sophossps.exe, SSPService.exe
TaniumTaniumClient.exe, TaniumCX.exe, tanclient.exe
ThreatLockerThreatLockerConsent.exe, threatlockerservice.exe, threatlockertray.exe
TrendAIcoreFrameworkHost.exe, coreServiceShell.exe, NTRTScan.exe, ntrtscan.exe, Ntrtscan.exe, OfcService.exe, ofcDdaSvr.exe, PccNTMon.exe, PccNt.exe, TISafe.exe, TISafeSvc.exe, TmCCSF.exe, tmicAgentSetting.exe, TMBMSRV.exe, Tmbmsrv.exe, tm_netsrv.exe, TmListen.exe, tmntsrv.exe, TmPfw.exe, tmproxy.exe, TmProxy.exe, TmPreFilter.exe, TmSSClient.exe, TmsaInstance64.exe, TmWscSvc.exe, VOneAgentConsole.exe, VOneAgentConsoleTray.exe
UptycsVectorAgent.exe, UptycsAgent.exe
VaronisDatAdvantage.exe, VaronisAgent.exe
WatchGuardwlcsservice.exe
WebrootWRSA.exe, WRSkyClient.exe, WRSVC.exe, wrsa.exe
Windows SysinternalsSysmon.exe, Sysmon64.exe
Zscalerzlclient.exe