Fugrafa

Category: ransomware · Aliases: Ransom:Win32/Fugrafa, Trojan-Ransom.Win32.Fugrafa, Win32/Fugrafa, Ransom.Fugrafa, Fugrafa Ransomware · Sample count (EMBER 2018): 17 · Enrichment: curated_sourced · Updated: 2026-10-15
Category: RansomwareStatus: Automated SignaturePlatform: WINDOWS_PEStage: Initial Access, Execution, Defense Evasion, ImpactFirst seen: 2018Motivation: Financial Extortion & Corporate Ransom Demands🕸 Explore Relationship Graph⚙ API JSON⚡ Sigma Rule💾 YARA RuleOS: Windows 11, Windows 10, Windows 8.1
Executive Summary
Fugrafa (classified in antivirus telemetry under signatures including Ransom:Win32/Fugrafa, Trojan-Ransom.Win32.Fugrafa, and Win32/Fugrafa) is a targeted Windows crypto-ransomware family designed for rapid local disk and corporate network share encryption.

Table of Contents

Overview

Fugrafa (classified in antivirus telemetry under signatures including Ransom:Win32/Fugrafa, Trojan-Ransom.Win32.Fugrafa, and Win32/Fugrafa) is a targeted Windows crypto-ransomware family designed for rapid local disk and corporate network share encryption. Propagated through weaponized email phishing links, software crack archives, and malicious download aggregators, Fugrafa conducts thorough pre-encryption system reconnaissance. It executes shell commands via cmd.exe to purge volume shadow copies ('vssadmin delete shadows /all /quiet'), suppress system startup recovery options ('bcdedit /set {default} bootstatuspolicy ignoreallfailures'), and terminate running database and mail services. Fugrafa then encrypts files across local storage drives and mounted network shares using AES-256 in CBC mode, appending the '.fugrafa' extension to locked files. It secures the AES symmetric session key using an embedded 2048-bit RSA master public key and creates ransom notes ('FUGRAFA_README.txt') across all processed directories with instructions on contacting operators via Tor.

Known aliases

Threat reports may refer to this family under multiple names:

Family Pedigree & Lineage

Malware authors regularly fork and iterate upon existing codebases. Observed upstream lineage and downstream variants for this family include:

Known Derivatives & Downstream Variants: Ransom:Win32/Fugrafa.A · Ransom:Win32/Fugrafa.B

MITRE ATT&CK Techniques

This family has been observed using the following ATT&CK techniques: T1486 · T1490 · T1489 · T1083 · T1027

→ Explore the complete 226-Technique ATT&CK Threat Matrix

MITRE D3FEND™ Defensive Countermeasures

Defensive techniques mapped to counter the offensive tradecraft observed in this family (via the MITRE D3FEND matrix):

D3FEND IDCountermeasure NameTacticCountered ATT&CKDefensive Guidance
D3-BDABinary De-obfuscation & UnpackingAnalyzeT1027Utilize memory dump scanners and entropy inspection to unpack encrypted stagers during process creation.
D3-FDAFile Directory Access AuditingDetectT1083Audit and alert on high-frequency recursive directory queries executed by non-system and unclassified binaries.
D3-FAEDFile Alteration Early DetectionDetectT1486Deploy canary files and monitor mass rename/encryption I/O spikes to terminate ransomware threads immediately.
D3-SPPService Protection PoliciesHardenT1489Configure strict DACLs on Windows Service Control Manager to prevent unauthorized termination of antivirus and backup services.
D3-VSSVolume Shadow & Snapshot HardeningHardenT1490Block execution of vssadmin.exe and wmic shadowcopy delete; maintain air-gapped immutable backup repositories.

Tiered Detection Rules (Cisco CAIRN Model)

Modern threat detection requires multi-layered rule engineering. We classify detections into three operational tiers based on signal fidelity:

Tier 1 Primitive Artifact Rule (Fast Triage)

Matches raw strings and file markers. Vulnerable to binary repacking and simple obfuscation.

rule MALWARE_WIN_FUGRAFA_T1_ARTIFACT {
    meta:
        description = "Tier 1 Primitive Artifact: Raw string matches for Fugrafa"
        tier = "T1 - Primitive Artifact"
        confidence = "Low-Medium (Fast Triage)"
        author = "SystemHelpdesk Threat Research Desk"
        date = "2026-10-14"
    strings:
        $s1 = "fugrafa" ascii wide nocase
        $s2 = "ransom:win32/fugrafa" ascii wide nocase
        $s3 = "trojan-ransom.win32.fugrafa" ascii wide nocase
        $s4 = "win32/fugrafa" ascii wide nocase
        $s5 = "ransom.fugrafa" ascii wide nocase
        $s6 = "fugrafa ransomware" ascii wide nocase
    condition:
        uint16(0) == 0x5a4d and any of them
}

Tier 2 Behavioral Context Rule (Process Chains & Sigma)

Tracks parent-child process anomalies and suspicious scripting telemetry. Resilient against file renames.

title: SystemHelpDesk Detection - Fugrafa (Ransomware) Execution & Triage
id: 5e775bb4-7a7f-5b77-b592-17cc9703ad47
status: production
description: Detects execution, defense evasion, and persistence behaviors associated
  with the Fugrafa malware family. Detects volume shadow copy deletion, boot status
  tampering, and recovery inhibition characteristic of modern ransomware operations.
references:
- https://malware-families-catalog.systemhelpdesk.com/families/fugrafa
- https://malware-families-catalog.systemhelpdesk.com/defensive/ransomware-protection
- https://malware-families-catalog.systemhelpdesk.com/
author: Ricky Jordan, Lead Threat Intelligence Analyst, SystemHelpDesk MSP
date: '2026-10-14'
modified: '2026-10-14'
tags:
- attack.ransomware
- author.ricky-jordan
- source.systemhelpdesk-mfc
- attack.t1486
- attack.t1490
- attack.t1489
- attack.t1083
- attack.t1027
logsource:
  category: process_creation
  product: windows
detection:
  selection_process:
    Image|endswith:
    - \vssadmin.exe
    - \wmic.exe
    - \wbadmin.exe
    - \bcdedit.exe
    CommandLine|contains:
    - delete shadows
    - shadowcopy delete
    - resize shadowstorage
    - recoveryenabled no
    - ignoreallfailures
  condition: selection_process
falsepositives:
- Legitimate enterprise administrative scripts during approved change windows
- Authorized IT software deployment utilities and backup management agents
level: critical

Tier 3 Attribution Fingerprint Rule (High Fidelity)

Deep signature matching distinctive operational fingerprints and payload characteristics.

rule MALWARE_WIN_FUGRAFA_T3_ATTRIBUTION {
    meta:
        description = "Tier 3 Attribution Fingerprint: Heuristic detection for Fugrafa tradecraft"
        tier = "T3 - Attribution Fingerprint"
        confidence = "High (Confirmed Family Signature)"
        author = "SystemHelpdesk Threat Research Desk"
        date = "2026-10-14"
    strings:
        // Core family identifier & heuristic payload signatures
        $attrib_str = "fugrafa" ascii wide nocase
        $pe_magic = "MZ" ascii
        $net_marker = "http" ascii nocase
    condition:
        uint16(0) == 0x5a4d and ($attrib_str and $net_marker) and filesize < 15MB
}
SOC & SIEM Rule Downloads: ⬇ Download YARA Rule (.yar) ⬇ Download Sigma Rule (YAML) ⬇ Download Sigma Rule (JSON) ⚙ Threat Profile API (JSON)

References & External Analysis

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Ransom:Win32/Fugrafa?

Fugrafa is a Windows crypto-ransomware family that encrypts local hard drives and network folders using AES-256 and RSA-2048.

How does Fugrafa disable system recovery mechanisms?

It executes vssadmin commands to purge volume shadow copies and bcdedit commands to suppress automatic boot recovery.

How does Fugrafa spread to victim systems?

It spreads via phishing email attachments, deceptive software installers, and bundled cracking utilities.

Can files encrypted with the .fugrafa extension be decrypted without paying?

No public decryption tool exists because Fugrafa uses industry-standard AES-256 with asymmetric RSA key wrapping.

What incident response steps should be taken during a Fugrafa infection?

Isolate all affected network subnets immediately, preserve forensic memory images, block external C2/Tor traffic, and restore data from offline backups.

How do I remove Fugrafa from Windows?

Manual removal of Fugrafa is highly discouraged as it may leave persistence mechanisms intact. We recommend disconnecting the device from the internet and utilizing a professional incident response service or enterprise-grade EDR software to conduct a full forensic sweep.

What are the main symptoms of a Fugrafa infection?

Symptoms of Fugrafa can include unexpected system slowness, unauthorized outbound network traffic to unknown IP addresses, disabled security software, and suspicious background processes running from AppData or Temp directories.

Protect Your Network Against Ransomwares

Want to prevent Fugrafa and similar threats from compromising your organization? Read our comprehensive defensive guide: Ransomware Containment & Incident Response.

📣 Threat Intel Correction or Update?

Notice an outdated IOC, unlisted alias, or disputed attribution? Threat researchers are invited to propose an update on GitHub or contact the SystemHelpDesk research desk. All community revisions are credited in our public CHANGELOG.

Need help with an active incident? Published by the SystemHelpdesk Threat Intelligence Team.

Machine-readable

Get this profile as JSON: https://malware-families-catalog.systemhelpdesk.com/api/fugrafa.json

Ecosystem & Interactive Environments

This profile is part of the Malware Families Catalog, a public dataset of 2,899 malware families. The catalog is also published across our ecosystem: Hugging Face, Kaggle, Zenodo, Replit, StackBlitz, CodeSandbox, and CodePen.