Researchers only found one new data leak site in 2019 H2. This method involves both encrypting a victim organization's environment and also exfiltrating data with the threat to leak it if the extortion demand is not paid. An error in a Texas Universitys software allowed users with access to also access names, courses, and grades for 12,000 students. The AKO ransomware gangtold BleepingComputer that ThunderX was a development version of their ransomware and that AKO rebranded as Razy Locker. Although affiliates perform the attacks, the ransom negotiations and data leaks are typically coordinated from a single ALPHV website, hosted on the dark web. We want to hear from you. Less-established operators can host data on a more-established DLS, reducing the risk of the data being taken offline by a public hosting provider. Also, fraudsters promise to either remove or not make the stolen data publicly available on the dark web. On January 26, 2023, the Department of Justice of the United States announced they disrupted Hive operations by seizing two back-end servers belonging to the group in Los Angeles, CA. In September 2020, Mount Lockerlaunched a "Mount Locker | News & Leaks" site that they used to publish the stolen files of victims who do not pay a ransom. While there are many routes to application security, bundles that allow security teams to quickly and easily secure applications and affect security posture in a self-service manner are becoming increasingly popular. Similar to many other ransomware operators, the threat actors added a link to their dedicated leak site (DLS), as shown in Figure 1. It also provides a level of reassurance if data has not been released, as well as an early warning of potential further attacks. Try out Malwarebytes Premium, with a full-featured trial, Activate, upgrade and manage your subscription in MyAccount, Get answers to frequently asked questions and troubleshooting tips, "Thanks to the Malwarebytes MSP program, we have this high-quality product in our stack. Learn about our global consulting and services partners that deliver fully managed and integrated solutions. Mandiant suggested that the reason Evil Corp made this switch was to evade the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) sanctions that had been released in December 2019 and more generally to blend in with other affiliates and eliminate the cost tied to the development of new ransomware. Duplication of a Norway-based victims details on both the TWISTED SPIDER DLS and SunCrypt DLS contributed to theories the adversaries were collaborating, though the data was also available on criminal forums at the time it appeared on SunCrypts DLS. Though all threat groups are motivated to maximise profit, SunCrypt and PLEASE_READ_ME adopted different techniques to achieve this. SunCrypt launched a data leak sitein August 2020, where they publish the stolen data for victims who do not pay a ransom. Hackers tend to take the ransom and still publish the data. Collaboration between operators may also place additional pressure on the victim to meet the ransom demand, as the stolen data has gained increased publicity and has already been shared at least once. A vendor laptop containing thousands of names, social security numbers, and credit card information was stolen from a car belonging to a University of North Dakota contractor. In September, as Maze began shutting down their operations, LockBit launched their ownransomware data leak site to extort victims. DoppelPaymer targets its victims through remote desktop hacks and access given by the Dridex trojan. It is possible that a criminal marketplace may be created for ransomware operators to sell or auction data, share techniques and even sell access to victims if they dont have the time or capability to conduct such operations. Though human error by employees or vendors is often behind a data leak, its not the only reason for unwanted disclosures. It steals your data for financial gain or damages your devices. These auctions are listed in a specific section of the DLS, which provides a list of available and previously expired auctions. Subscribe to the SecurityWeek Email Briefing to stay informed on the latest threats, trends, and technology, along with insightful columns from industry experts. This blog explores operators of Ako (a fork of MedusaLocker) demanding two ransoms from victims, PINCHY SPIDERs auctioning of stolen data and TWISTED SPIDERs creation of the self-named Maze Cartel.. Finally, researchers state that 968, or nearly half (49.4%) of ransomware victims were in the United States in 2021. In June 2020, TWISTED SPIDER, the threat actor operating Maze ransomware, introduced a new twist to their ransomware operations by announcing the creation of the Maze Cartel a collaboration between certain ransomware operators that results in victims exfiltrated information being hosted on multiple DLSs, as shown in Figure 4. Soon after launching, weaknesses were found in the ransomware that allowed a freedecryptor to be released. By closing this message or continuing to use our site, you agree to the use of cookies. Read the latest press releases, news stories and media highlights about Proofpoint. However, these advertisements do not appear to be restricted to ransomware operations and could instead enable espionage and other nefarious activity. 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The ransomware operators have created a data leak site called 'Pysa Homepage' where they publish the stolen files of their "partners" if a ransom is not paid. Data leak sites are usually dedicated dark web pages that post victim names and details. Implement the very best security and compliance solution for your Microsoft 365 collaboration suite. By definition, phishing is "a malicious technique used by cybercriminals to gather sensitive information (credit card data, usernames, and passwords, etc.) At the time of writing, we saw different pricing, depending on the . A data leak can simply be disclosure of data to a third party from poor security policies or storage misconfigurations. Also known as REvil,Sodinokibihas been a scourgeon corporate networks after recruiting an all-star team of affiliates who focus on high-level attacks utilizing exploits, hacked MSPs, and spam. They previously had a leak site created at multiple TOR addresses, but they have since been shut down. . In May 2020, CrowdStrike Intelligence observed an update to the Ako ransomware portal. There can be several primary causes of gastrostomy tube leak such as buried bumper syndrome and dislodgement (as discussed previously) and targeting the cause is crucial. Ransomware The Maze Cartel creates benefits for the adversaries involved, and potential pitfalls for victims. According to security researcher MalwareHunter, the most recent activity from the group is an update to its leak site last week during which the Darkside operators added a new section. It is not believed that this ransomware gang is performing the attacks to create chaos for Israel businessesand interests. Ragnar Locker gained media attention after encryptingthePortuguese energy giant Energias de Portugal (EDP) and asked for a1,580 BTC ransom. Learn more about the incidents and why they happened in the first place. Similar to many other ransomware operators, the threat actors added a link to their dedicated leak site (DLS), as shown in Figure 1. Episodes feature insights from experts and executives. Some of the actors share similar tactics, techniques and procedures (TTPs), including an initial aversion to targeting frontline healthcare facilities during the COVID-19 pandemic, and there are indications that adversaries are emulating successful techniques demonstrated by other members of the cartel. Then visit a DNS leak test website and follow their instructions to run a test. In March, Nemtycreated a data leak site to publish the victim's data. In March 2020, CL0P released a data leak site called 'CL0P^-LEAKS', where they publish the victim's data. They may publish portions of the data at the early stages of the attack to prove that they have breached the target's system and stolen data, and ultimately may publish full data dumps of those refusing to pay the ransom. A recently disclosed vBulletin vulnerability, which had a zero-day status for roughly two days last week, was exploited in a hacker attack targeting the Got a confidential news tip? The Veterans Administration lost 26.5 million records with sensitive data, including social security numbers and date of birth information, after an employee took data home. The Lockbit ransomware outfit has now established a dedicated site to leak stolen private data, enabling it to extort selected targets twice. Privacy Policy They have reported on more than 3,000 victims that have been named to a data leak site since the broader ransomware landscape adopted the tactic. Once the bidder is authenticated for a particular auction, the resulting page displays auction deposit amounts, starting auction price, ending auction price, an XMR address to send transactions to, a listing of transactions to that address, and the time left until the auction expires, as shown in Figure 3. The gang is reported to have created "data packs" for each employee, containing files related to their hotel employment. Clicking on links in such emails often results in a data leak. Active monitoring enables targeted organisations to verify that their data has indeed been exfiltrated and is under the control of the threat group, enabling them to rule out empty threats. After Maze began publishing stolen files, Sodinokibifollowed suit by first publishing stolen data on a hacker forum and then launching a dedicated "Happy Blog" data leak site. Deliver Proofpoint solutions to your customers and grow your business. Idaho Power Company in Boise, Idaho, was victim to a data leak after they sold used hard drives containing sensitive files and confidential information on eBay. By closing this message or continuing to use our site, you agree to the use of cookies. DLSs increased to 15 in the first half of the year and to 18 in the second half, totaling 33 websites for 2021. All Rights Reserved BNP Media. Zendesk is informing customers about a data breach that started with an SMS phishing campaign targeting the companys employees. At this precise moment, we have more than 1,000 incidents of Facebook data leaks registered on the Axur One platform! By understanding the cost drivers of claims and addressing these proactively through automation and continuous process refinement, we are able to deliver high quality incident response services in close collaboration with our industry partners. A Dedicated IP address gives you all the benefits of using a VPN, plus a little more stability and usability, since that IP address will be exclusive to you. Many organizations dont have the personnel to properly plan for disasters and build infrastructure to secure data from unintentional data leaks. The new tactic seems to be designed to create further pressure on the victim to pay the ransom. Many ransom notes left by attackers on systems they've crypto-locked, for example,. However, the groups differed in their responses to the ransom not being paid. As seen in the chart above, the upsurge in data leak sites started in the first half of 2020. She has a background in terrorism research and analysis, and is a fluent French speaker. It does this by sourcing high quality videos from a wide variety of websites on . If you have a DNS leak, the test site should be able to spot it and let you know that your privacy is at risk. We found that they opted instead to upload half of that targets data for free. SunCrypt is a ransomware that has been operating since the end of 2019, but have recently become more active after joining the 'Maze Cartel.'. Interested in participating in our Sponsored Content section? DoppelPaymer data. She previously assisted customers with personalising a leading anomaly detection tool to their environment. This feature allows users to bid for leak data or purchase the data immediately for a specified Blitz Price. Payments are only accepted in Monero (XMR) cryptocurrency. Visit our updated, This website requires certain cookies to work and uses other cookies to help you have the best experience. Security eNewsletter & Other eNews Alerts, Taking a Personal Approach to Identity Will Mitigate Fraud Risk & Ensure a Great Customer Experience, The Next Frontier of Security in the Age of Cloud, Effective Security Management, 7th Edition. The dedicated leak site, which has been taken down, appeared to have been created to make the stolen information easily accessible to employees and guests, thus pressuring the hotelier into paying a ransom. data. In case of not contacting us in 3 business days this data will be published on a special website available for public view," states Sekhmet's ransom note. The changing nature of what we still generally call ransomware will continue through 2023, driven by three primary conditions. By: Paul Hammel - February 23, 2023 7:22 pm. BleepingComputer has seen ransom demands as low as $200,000 for victims who did not have data stolen to a high of$2,000,000 for victim whose data was stolen. Currently, the best protection against ransomware-related data leaks is prevention. by Malwarebytes Labs. . Collaboration between eCrime operators is not uncommon for example, WIZARD SPIDER has a historically profitable arrangement involving the distribution of. Maze shut down their ransomware operation in November 2020. Learn more about information security and stay protected. Both can be costly and have critical consequences, but a data leak involves much more negligence than a data breach. Malware. To start a conversation or to report any errors or omissions, please feel free to contact the author directly. Yes! When first starting, the ransomware used the .locked extension for encrypted files and switched to the .pysa extension in November 2019. The overall trend of exfiltrating, selling and outright leaking victim data will likely continue as long as organizations are willing to pay ransoms. Originally launched in January 2019 as a Ransomware-as-a-Service (RaaS) called JSWorm, the ransomware rebranded as Nemtyin August 2019. (Derek Manky), Our networks have become atomized which, for starters, means theyre highly dispersed. As part of the rebrand, they also began stealing data from companies before encrypting their files and leaking them if not paid. PayPal is alerting roughly 35,000 individuals that their accounts have been targeted in a credential stuffing campaign. November 2019 AKO rebranded as Nemtyin August 2019 involves much more negligence than data! 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The groups differed in their responses to the AKO ransomware gangtold BleepingComputer that ThunderX was a version. And services partners that deliver fully managed and integrated solutions a freedecryptor be. A specific section of the year and to 18 in the first half the! Grow your business site called 'CL0P^-LEAKS ', where they publish the data immediately for a Blitz...