One of the most popular attacks in recent years is ransomware, which can have devastating consequences for a business. And it seems that according to the latest trend, various hackinghave started to join forces and make their attacks even more coordinated and dangerous. Positive Technologies published a study on Wednesday that studies this trend.
As is the case with most cases, malicious actors are constantly evolving their techniques and attacks. Until recently, ransomware attacks simply locked down victims’ systems and demanded a ransom to regain access. Now, however, criminals have begun threatening to publish stolen information online if victims do not pay the ransom.
According to Positive Technologies, the Maze and Sodinokibi were the most active in this type of attack in the second quarter of the year. DoppelPaymer, NetWalker, Ako, Nefilim , and Clop are also involved in this type of attack. Some gangs, such as Ako, use a “double blackmail” system, demanding separate ransoms for decryption and for not publishing the data.
Many ransomware groups create dedicated websites where they leak the data they steal. Other groups post this information on hacker.
However, in a recent collaboration that was discovered, hacking groups have teamed up with the Maze gang to publish stolen data. Specifically, Maze uses its own data leak website to publish information stolen by other criminals, forming an operation known as the Maze cartel.
The NetWalker gang even recruited collaborators to spread its ransomware by offering them a commission as payment.
Although these types of partnerships result in profit sharing between the teams, they still make a lot of money. In June, the University of California, San Francisco, was forced to pay $1.14 million after being attacked by the NetWalker ransomware.
In May, law firm Grubman Shire Meiselas & Sacks fell victim to the REVIL (Sodinokibi) ransomware gang. The criminals claimed to have sensitive data from the firm’s celebrity clients, including Lady Gaga, Madonna, Mariah Carey, Nicki Minaj, Bruce Springsteen, Bette Midler, and Jessica Simpson. After the firm offered to pay just $365,000 of the $21 million demanded, the group doubled its demands to $42 million.
This tactic seems to work, and so more and more malicious actors are using it to make easy money.
