The National Cyber Emergency Response Team (nCERT) has issued an urgent cybersecurity advisory on Blue Locker ransomware, warning that the malware is actively targeting organizations across the country. It is addressed to a wide range of government officials and departments, highlighting the immediate need for preventive measures to mitigate the threat.
The advisory describes Blue Locker ransomware as a malicious program that encrypts files, appends a “.blue” extension, and demands payment in exchange for decryption keys. A successful breach can result in significant data loss, operational disruption, exposure of sensitive information, and the bypassing of security controls.
The ransomware is being distributed through trojanized software downloads, phishing emails, unsafe file-sharing platforms, and compromised websites. It mainly targets Windows-based systems, network shares, cloud-synced storage, and accessible backups. The attack complexity is rated as low, requiring only minimal user interaction, such as opening an infected file or clicking a malicious link.
Recommended Actions
nCERT has urged organizations to act immediately with the following measures:
- System Security: Install the latest operating system and software updates, enforce multi-factor authentication, and maintain offline immutable backups.
- Email and Web Protection: Use email filters to block malicious attachments and links, and restrict access to known ransomware-related domains and IP addresses.
- Employee Awareness: Train staff to identify phishing attempts and suspicious downloads.
- Monitoring: Deploy YARA rules and configure SIEM alerts to detect “.blue” extension files, rapid mass file changes, and the “restore file.txt” ransom note.
- Incident Response: Isolate infected devices, preserve forensic evidence, follow the approved ransomware response plan, and report incidents to nCERT without delay.
The advisory stresses that taking proactive measures now is far less costly than recovering from the financial, operational, and reputational damage that a Blue Locker ransomware attack can cause.