Case Study: Restoring a UK Manufacturing Facility After Akira “Megazord” Attack
Executive Summary
- Client: Small Manufacturing Firm (Midlands, UK)
- Target: Production Server, CAD Workstations, and Local Backup Repository
- Ransomware Variant: Akira (Rust-based “Megazord”)
- Vulnerability Exploited: CVE-2024-40766 (SonicWall SSL VPN)
- Outcome: 100% Data Restoration in under 24 hours. No ransom paid.
The Incident: A Race Against Production Downtime
In late 2025, a UK-based manufacturing manager contacted our emergency response line. His facility had ground to a halt; the automated assembly lines were unresponsive, and every file on the central server carried the .akira (later identified as .powerranges) extension.
The attackers had bypassed the company’s firewall by exploiting CVE-2024-40766, a known vulnerability in their SonicWall VPN appliance that lacked Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA). Once inside, the STONETOP loader was used to disable their endpoint protection and systematically purge their local Volume Shadow Copies.
The Technical Challenge
The manager was under immense pressure to resume production. The variant used was the Megazord Rust-based engine, which utilizes a “checkerboard” encryption pattern. This method only encrypts specific blocks of data to maximize speed, meaning standard, outdated 2023 decryptors would only corrupt the files further if attempted.
Key Obstacles:
- Compromised Backups: The local backup server was wiped, and the cloud sync had been paused by the attackers.
- Legal Compliance: As a UK firm, the client needed to ensure any recovery effort was GDPR-compliant and did not violate UK OFAC sanctions regarding payments to proscribed groups.
Our Forensic Recovery Strategy
Our UK-led team of reverse engineers implemented a three-stage recovery protocol:
1. Containment & STONETOP Neutralization
We identified the STONETOP backdoor persistence mechanism. Restoring files without removing this would have resulted in an immediate re-infection. We sanitized the environment and hardened the VPN gateway with phishing-resistant MFA.
2. Specialized Rust-Variant Decryption
Using our proprietary Akira v2.0 Decryptor, specifically tuned for the 2025 Rust logic, we began a controlled restoration of the firm’s critical SQL database (which managed their ERP and assembly schedules) and their library of CAD/CAM engineering designs.
3. Nutanix VDisk Recovery
For the virtualized components of the factory floor, we repaired the VDisk headers that the Megazord variant had damaged. This allowed us to mount the virtual machines directly, bypassing the need for a full system rebuild.
The Result: 100% Operational Within 24 Hours
The facility was back to 100% capacity the following day. We provided the manager with a comprehensive Incident Response Report for their insurance provider and the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), confirming that while encryption occurred, no sensitive PII was exfiltrated.
Client Review:
“It was great working with you. The tool was very handy and useful. I am thankful to you. Thank you very much.”
Proof of Chat
Expert Tip for UK Manufacturers:
If you are hit by Akira, do not restart your servers. Restarting can clear the volatile memory (RAM) where encryption keys or “STONETOP” artifacts may still reside, which our team can use to accelerate your recovery.
Security Researcher, Malware Analyst, Tech Writer.