Satan
Table of Contents
Overview
Satan (also known as Satan Ransomware, later rebranded as DBatLoader / Lucky Ransomware, and tracked under signatures including Ransom:Win32/Satan, Trojan-Ransom.Win32.Satan, and Ransom:Linux/Satan) is a landmark Ransomware-as-a-Service (RaaS) platform active since January 2017. Created by cybercriminals to democratize ransomware deployment, Satan operated an underground web portal where affiliates generated customized ransomware binaries and tracked extortion payments. Notably evolving into a multi-platform threat targeting Windows and Linux servers, Satan incorporates worm-like self-propagation capabilities, scanning internal subnets and exploiting known enterprise vulnerabilities—including EternalBlue (CVE-2017-0144), JBoss (CVE-2017-12149), Tomcat, and WebLogic (CVE-2017-10271)—to compromise enterprise servers and encrypt file systems using AES-256 and RSA-2048 encryption.
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/Satan.A · Lucky Ransomware
MITRE ATT&CK Techniques
This family has been observed using the following ATT&CK techniques: T1486 · T1210 · T1490 · T1082 · T1547.001
MITRE D3FEND™ Defensive Countermeasures
Defensive techniques mapped to counter the offensive tradecraft observed in this family (via the MITRE D3FEND matrix):
| D3FEND ID | Countermeasure Name | Tactic | Countered ATT&CK | Defensive Guidance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
D3-SDA | System Discovery Analysis | Detect | T1082 | Alert on rapid enumerations of systeminfo, hostname, and registry hardware trees in short intervals. |
D3-NPS | Network Protocol Segmentation & Patching | Filter | T1210 | Disable legacy protocols (e.g. SMBv1) and restrict SMB/RPC lateral movement across internal subnet boundaries. |
D3-FAED | File Alteration Early Detection | Detect | T1486 | Deploy canary files and monitor mass rename/encryption I/O spikes to terminate ransomware threads immediately. |
D3-VSS | Volume Shadow & Snapshot Hardening | Harden | T1490 | Block execution of vssadmin.exe and wmic shadowcopy delete; maintain air-gapped immutable backup repositories. |
D3-RPM | Registry Persistence Monitoring | Detect | T1547.001 | Audit and restrict write privileges to user and machine-level Registry Run/RunOnce keys using Endpoint Privilege Management. |
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_SATAN_T1_ARTIFACT {
meta:
description = "Tier 1 Primitive Artifact: Raw string matches for Satan"
tier = "T1 - Primitive Artifact"
confidence = "Low-Medium (Fast Triage)"
author = "SystemHelpdesk Threat Research Desk"
date = "2026-10-14"
strings:
$s1 = "satan" ascii wide nocase
$s2 = "ransom:win32/satan" ascii wide nocase
$s3 = "trojan-ransom.win32.satan" ascii wide nocase
$s4 = "lucky ransomware" ascii wide nocase
$s5 = "satan raas" ascii wide nocase
$s6 = "win32/satan" ascii wide nocase
$s7 = "ransom:linux/satan" 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 - Satan (Ransomware) Execution & Triage
id: fc59f81a-4c61-52f7-bf07-9eccb8cff1df
status: production
description: Detects execution, defense evasion, and persistence behaviors associated
with the Satan 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/satan
- 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.t1210
- attack.t1490
- attack.t1082
- attack.t1547_001
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: criticalTier 3 Attribution Fingerprint Rule (High Fidelity)
Deep signature matching distinctive operational fingerprints and payload characteristics.
rule MALWARE_WIN_SATAN_T3_ATTRIBUTION {
meta:
description = "Tier 3 Attribution Fingerprint: Heuristic detection for Satan 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 = "satan" 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
}References & External Analysis
- Microsoft Defender Threat Encyclopedia - Ransom:Win32/Satan
- Trend Micro Threat Encyclopedia - Ransom.Win32.Satan
- Search "satan" on VirusTotal (External Analysis)
- Search "satan" on Any.Run (Sandbox Sandbox)
- Search "satan" on MalwareBazaar (Malware Samples)
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Satan (Lucky) Ransomware?
Satan is a landmark Ransomware-as-a-Service (RaaS) family featuring worm-like lateral propagation exploiting server vulnerabilities.
Which vulnerabilities are exploited by Satan to propagate?
Satan exploits EternalBlue (CVE-2017-0144), WebLogic (CVE-2017-10271), JBoss (CVE-2017-12149), and Apache Tomcat servers.
What platforms are targeted by Satan ransomware?
It targets both Windows endpoints and Linux enterprise servers, deploying tailored encryption payloads for each OS.
How does Satan operate on the Ransomware-as-a-Service model?
The developer provided a web portal allowing affiliates to customize ransom amounts and split ransom proceeds with the author.
How can organizations defend against Satan ransomware?
Apply security patches for EternalBlue and WebLogic, segment internal networks, and maintain offline immutable backups.
How do I remove the Satan Ransomware from Windows?
Manual removal of Satan 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.
Is Satan a virus or a Ransomware?
Satan is classified as a Ransomware. Unlike traditional viruses that infect files, modern malware like Satan typically operates as a standalone payload designed to compromise systems, steal data, or deploy secondary stage implants.
What are the main symptoms of a Satan infection?
Symptoms of Satan 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 Satan 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.
Machine-readable
Get this profile as JSON: https://malware-families-catalog.systemhelpdesk.com/api/satan.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.