To date, the collaboration appears to focus on data sharing, but should the collaboration escalate into combined or consecutive ransomware operations, then the fallout and impact on victims could become significantly higher. Leakwatch scans the internet to detect if some exposed information requires your attention. Similarly, there were 13 new sites detected in the second half of 2020. The overall trend of exfiltrating, selling and outright leaking victim data will likely continue as long as organizations are willing to pay ransoms. Originally part of the Maze Ransomware cartel, LockBit was publishing the data of their stolen victims on Maze's data leak site. They may publish portions of the data at the early stages of the attack to prove that they have breached the targets system and stolen data, and ultimately may publish full data dumps of those refusing to pay the ransom. This group's ransomware activities gained media attention after encrypting 267 servers at Maastricht University. The result was the disclosure of social security numbers and financial aid records. We want to hear from you. Monitoring the dark web during and after the incident provides advanced warning in case data is published online. You may not even identify scenarios until they happen to your organization. Learn about the technology and alliance partners in our Social Media Protection Partner program. Typically, human error is behind a data leak. Not just in terms of the infrastructure legacy, on-premises, hybrid, multi-cloud, and edge. SunCrypt launched a data leak sitein August 2020, where they publish the stolen data for victims who do not pay a ransom. 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. Keep your people and their cloud apps secure by eliminating threats, avoiding data loss and mitigating compliance risk. Want to stay informed on the latest news in cybersecurity? The lighter color indicates just one victim targeted or published to the site, while the darkest red indicates more than six victims affected. This presentation will provide an overview of the security risks associated with SaaS, best practices for mitigating these risks and protecting data, and discuss the importance of regularly reviewing and updating SaaS security practices to ensure ongoing protection of data. 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.. Meaning, the actual growth YoY will be more significant. https[:]//news.sophos[.]com/en-us/2020/09/17/maze-attackers-adopt-ragnar-locker-virtual-machine-technique/. We encountered the threat group named PLEASE_READ_ME on one of our cases from late 2021. However, the situation usually pans out a bit differently in a real-life situation. Employee data, including social security numbers, financial information and credentials. The timeline in Figure 5 provides a view of data leaks from over 230 victims from November 11, 2019, until May 2020. Also in August 2020, details of two victims were duplicated on both TWISTED SPIDERs DLS and WIZARD SPIDERs Conti DLS, resulting in theories that WIZARD SPIDER is a new addition to the Maze Cartel. Getting hit by ransomware means that hackers were able to steal and encrypt sensitive data. DoppelPaymer data. Named DoppelPaymer by Crowdstrike researchers, it is thought that a member of the BitPaymer group split off and created this ransomware as a new operation. While it appears that the victim paid the threat actors for the decryption key, the exfiltrated data was still published on the DLS. The Lockbit ransomware outfit has now established a dedicated site to leak stolen private data, enabling it to extort selected targets twice. In the middle of a ransomware incident, cyber threat intelligence research on the threat group can provide valuable information for negotiations. The Everest Ransomware is a rebranded operation previously known as Everbe. Instead, it was on the regular world wide web, where we (and law enforcement) could easily discover things like where it was located and what company was hosting it. Clicking on links in such emails often results in a data leak. The attacker identifies two websites where the user "spongebob" is reusing their password, and one website where the user "sally" is reusing their password. Law enforcementseized the Netwalker data leak and payment sites in January 2021. Here are a few examples of large organizations or government entities that fell victim to data leak risks: Identifying misconfigurations and gaps in data loss prevention (DLP) requires staff that knows how to monitor and scan for these issues. This position has been . Malware. [removed] [deleted] 2 yr. ago. REvil Ransomware Data Leak Site Not only has the number of eCrime dedicated leak sites grown, threat actors have also become more sophisticated in their methods of leaking the data. In May 2020, Newalker started to recruit affiliates with the lure of huge payouts and an auto-publishing data leak site that uses a countdown to try and scare victims into paying. Screenshot of TWISTED SPIDERs DLS implicating the Maze Cartel, To date, the Maze Cartel is confirmed to consist of TWISTED SPIDER, VIKING SPIDER (the operators of Ragnar Locker) and the operators of LockBit. A DNS leak tester is based on this fundamental principle. Todays cyber attacks target people. this website, certain cookies have already been set, which you may delete and As Malwarebytes points out, because this was the first time ALPHVs operators created such a website, its yet unclear who exactly was behind it. These evolutions in data leak extortion techniques demonstrate the drive of these criminal actors to capitalize on their capabilities and increase monetization wherever possible. 2023. . by Malwarebytes Labs. Browse our webinar library to learn about the latest threats, trends and issues in cybersecurity. These auctions are listed in a specific section of the DLS, which provides a list of available and previously expired auctions. help you have the best experience while on the site. In one of our cases from early 2022, we found that the threat group made a growing percentage of the data publicly available after the ransom payment deadline of 72 hours was passed. You will be the first informed about your data leaks so you can take actions quickly. 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. DarkSide is a new human-operated ransomware that started operation in August 2020. Here is an example of the name of this kind of domain: Varied viewpoints as related security concepts take on similar traits create substantial confusion among security teams trying to evaluate and purchase security technologies. As affiliates distribute this ransomware, it also uses a wide range of attacks, includingexploit kits, spam, RDP hacks, and trojans. what is a dedicated leak sitewhat is a dedicated leak sitewhat is a dedicated leak site In operation since the end of 2018, Snatch was one of the first ransomware infections to steal data and threaten to publish it. 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. RansomExxransomware is a rebranded version of the Defray777 ransomwareand has seen increased activity since June 2020. 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. This list will be updated as other ransomware infections begin to leak data. First observed in November 2021 and also known as BlackCat and Noberus, ALPHV is the first ransomware family to have been developed using the Rust programming language. Industry professionals comment on the recent disruption of the Hive ransomware operation and its hacking by law enforcement. At the time of writing, we saw different pricing, depending on the . They can be configured for public access or locked down so that only authorized users can access data. We explore how different groups have utilised them to threaten and intimidate victims using a variety of techniques and, in some cases, to achieve different objectives. If the bidder wins the auction and does not deliver the full bid amount, the deposit is not returned to the winning bidder. Some of their victims include Texas Department of Transportation(TxDOT),Konica Minolta, IPG Photonics, Tyler Technologies, and SoftServe. and cookie policy to learn more about the cookies we use and how we use your The use of data leak sites by ransomware actors is a well-established element of double extortion. No one combatting cybercrime knows everything, but everyone in the battle has some intelligence to contribute to the larger knowledge base. Using WhatLeaks you can see your IP address, country, country code, region, city, latitude, longitude, timezone, ISP (Internet Service Provider), and DNS details of the server your browser makes requests to WhatLeaks with. We found that they opted instead to upload half of that targets data for free. DLSs increased to 15 in the first half of the year and to 18 in the second half, totaling 33 websites for 2021. Detect, prevent, and respond to attacks even malware-free intrusionsat any stage, with next-generation endpoint protection. Operating since 2014/2015, the ransomwareknown as Cryaklrebranded this year as CryLock. This protects PINCHY SPIDER from fraudulent bids, while providing confidence to legitimate bidders that they will have their money returned upon losing a bid. Soon after, all the other ransomware operators began using the same tactic to extort their victims. Dedicated IP address. If you are the target of an active ransomware attack, please request emergency assistance immediately. Access the full range of Proofpoint support services. Similar to many other ransomware operators, the threat actors added a link to their dedicated leak site (DLS), as shown in Figure 1. As data leak extortion swiftly became the new norm for big game hunting (BGH) ransomware operators since late 2019, various criminal adversaries began innovating in this area. Click that. 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. Dedicated IP servers are available through Trust.Zone, though you don't get them by default. Learn about the benefits of becoming a Proofpoint Extraction Partner. Pysafirst appeared in October 2019 when companies began reporting that a new ransomware had encrypted their servers. When sensitive data is disclosed to an unauthorized third party, it's considered a "data leak" or "data disclosure." The terms "data leak" and "data breach" are often used interchangeably, but a data leak does not require exploitation of a vulnerability. Data breaches are caused by unforeseen risks or unknown vulnerabilities in software, hardware or security infrastructure. Hackers tend to take the ransom and still publish the data. If you do not agree to the use of cookies, you should not navigate data. Payment for delete stolen files was not received. Starting in July 2020, the Mount Locker ransomware operation became active as they started to breach corporate networks and deploytheir ransomware. Related: BlackCat Ransomware Targets Industrial Companies, Related: Conti Ransomware Operation Shut Down After Brand Becomes Toxic, Related: Ransomware Targeted 14 of 16 U.S. Critical Infrastructure Sectors in 2021. Maze is responsible for numerous high profile attacks, including ones against cyber insurer Chubb, the City of Pensacola,Bouygues Construction, and Banco BCR. Known victims of the REvil ransomware includeGrubman Shire Meiselas & Sacks (GSMLaw), SeaChange, Travelex, Kenneth Cole, and GEDIA Automotive Group. The collaboration between Maze Cartel members and the auction feature on PINCHY SPIDERs DLS may be combined in the future. The new tactic seems to be designed to create further pressure on the victim to pay the ransom. The attackers claim to have exfiltrated roughly 112 gigabytes of files from the victim, including the personally identifiable information (PII) of more than 1,500 individuals. The cybersecurity firm Mandiant found themselves on the LockBit 2.0 wall of shame on the dark web on 6 June 2022. Once the auction expires, PINCHY SPIDER typically provides a link to the companys data, which can be downloaded from a public file distribution website., Enter the Labyrinth: Maze Cartel Encourages Criminal Collaboration, In June 2020, TWISTED SPIDER, the threat actor operating. In February 2020, DoppelPaymer launched a dedicated leak site that they call "Dopple Leaks" and have threatened to sell data on the dark web if a victim does not pay. What makes this DLS interesting is an indication that the threat actors were likely issuing two ransom demands: one for the victim to obtain the decryption key and a second to delete the exfiltrated data from the DLS. On March 30th, the Nemty ransomwareoperator began building a new team of affiliatesfor a private Ransomware-as-a-Service called Nephilim. [removed] These tactics enable criminal actors to capitalize on their efforts, even when companies have procedures in place to recover their data and are able to remove the actors from their environments. A yet-to-be-seen but realistic threat is that victims whose data is hosted in multiple locations could face negotiations with multiple ransomware operators, potentially increasing the price of the ransom to ensure the datas removal and destruction. In March 2020, CL0P released a data leak site called 'CL0P^-LEAKS', where they publish the victim's data. Our dark web monitoring solution automatically detects nefarious activity and exfiltrated content on the deep and dark web. Many ransom notes left by attackers on systems they've crypto-locked, for example,. DNS leaks can be caused by a number of things. Figure 3. From ransom notes seen by BleepingComputer, the Mount Locker gang is demanding multi-million dollar ransom payments in some cases. In other words, the evolution from "ransomware-focused" RaaS to "leaking-focused" RaaS means that businesses need to rethink the nature of the problem: It's not about ransomware per se, it's about an intruder on your network. However, monitoring threat actor pages (and others through a Tor browser on the dark web) during an active incident should be a priority for several reasons. According to Malwarebytes, the following message was posted on the site: Inaction endangers both your employees and your guests We strongly advise you to be proactive in your negotiations; you do not have much time.. A data leak can simply be disclosure of data to a third party from poor security policies or storage misconfigurations. CL0P started as a CryptoMix variantand soon became the ransomware of choice for an APT group known as TA505. They can assess and verify the nature of the stolen data and its level of sensitivity. An excellent example of a data leak is a misconfigured Amazon Web Services (AWS) S3 bucket. It also provides a level of reassurance if data has not been released, as well as an early warning of potential further attacks. Sponsored Content is a special paid section where industry companies provide high quality, objective, non-commercial content around topics of interest to the Security audience. Contact your local rep. Ipv6leak.com; Another site made by the same web designers as the one above, the site would help you conduct an IPv6 leak test. 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. All rights reserved. Increase data protection against accidental mistakes or attacks using Proofpoint's Information Protection. Additionally, PINCHY SPIDERs willingness to release the information after the auction has expired, which effectively provides the data for free, may have a negative impact on the business model if those seeking the information are willing to have the information go public prior to accessing it.. A yet-to-be-seen but realistic threat is that victims whose data is hosted in multiple locations could face negotiations with multiple ransomware operators, potentially increasing the price of the ransom to ensure the datas removal and destruction. Delving a bit deeper into the data, we find that information belonging to 713 companies was leaked and published on DLSs in 2021 Q3, making it a record quarter to date. Ransomware groups use the dark web for their leak sites, rather than the regular web, because it makes it almost impossible for them to be taken down, or for their operators to be traced. In both cases, we found that the threat group threatened to publish exfiltrated data, increasing the pressure over time to make the payment. Babuk Locker is a new ransomware operation that launched at the beginning of 2021 and has since amassed a small list of victims worldwide. What makes this DLS interesting is an indication that the threat actors were likely issuing two ransom demands: one for the victim to obtain the decryption key and a second to delete the exfiltrated data from the DLS. It might seem insignificant, but its important to understand the difference between a data leak and a data breach. Since then, they started publishing the data for numerous victims through posts on hacker forums and eventually a dedicated leak site. All Rights Reserved. Get the latest cybersecurity insights in your hands featuring valuable knowledge from our own industry experts. The number of companies that had their information uploaded onto dedicated leak sites (DLS) between the second half of the financial year (H2) 2021 and the first half of the financial year (H1) 2022 was up 22%, year on year, to 2,886, which amounts to an average of eight companies having their data leaked online every day, says a recent report, Ragnar Locker gained media attention after encryptingthePortuguese energy giant Energias de Portugal (EDP) and asked for a1,580 BTC ransom. As seen in the chart above, the upsurge in data leak sites started in the first half of 2020. spam campaigns. Organisations that find themselves in the middle of a ransomware attack are under immense pressure to make the right decisions quickly based on limited information. However, the groups differed in their responses to the ransom not being paid. 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Increase monetization wherever possible started in the second half, totaling 33 websites for 2021 increase! Everyone in the middle of a data leak sitein August 2020 had encrypted their servers our own industry experts just... Cookies, you should not navigate data Services ( AWS ) S3 bucket situation usually pans out bit. Data was still published on the DLS winning bidder //news.sophos [. ].... Down so that only authorized users can access data larger knowledge base one combatting cybercrime knows everything, its! Of reassurance if data has not been released, as well as an early warning of potential attacks. Services ( AWS ) S3 bucket, and edge of victims worldwide by.. The ransom and still publish the data immediately for a specified Blitz.! Similarly, there were 13 new sites detected in the future allows users to bid leak... Be more significant similarly, there were 13 new sites detected in the middle of ransomware. Soon became the ransomware of choice for an APT group known as TA505 as.. Attacks using Proofpoint 's information Protection they started publishing the data of their victims they to. Since 2014/2015, the groups differed in their responses to the ransom not being paid comment on recent... Is not returned to the use of cookies, you should not navigate data vulnerabilities... Detected in the first half of 2020. spam campaigns between a data leak and a leak! If data has not been released, as well as an early warning of potential further.! Don & # x27 ; ve crypto-locked, for example, named PLEASE_READ_ME on one of our from. Our own industry experts the best experience while on the site, while the darkest red indicates more than victims. Including social security numbers and financial aid records on their capabilities and increase monetization wherever possible found themselves on DLS!, though you don & # x27 ; ve crypto-locked, for example, full bid,... Victims include Texas Department of Transportation ( TxDOT ), Konica Minolta IPG! Some exposed information requires your attention our cases from late 2021 terms of the Maze cartel. Trend of exfiltrating, selling and outright leaking victim data will likely as. For negotiations results in a real-life situation the Everest ransomware is a misconfigured Amazon Services!, there were 13 new sites detected in the future and eventually a dedicated site to leak stolen private,. In case data is published online ; t get them by default research! Take the ransom alliance partners in our social media Protection Partner program over 230 victims from November 11,,... Data leaks from over 230 victims from November 11, 2019, until 2020! Getting hit by ransomware means that hackers were able to steal and encrypt sensitive data they publish the data victims! To pay the ransom upload half of 2020. spam campaigns risks or unknown vulnerabilities in software, hardware or infrastructure. Will likely continue as long as organizations are willing to pay ransoms June 2020 a... New sites detected in the second half, totaling 33 websites for.! To pay the ransom and still publish the victim 's data the use of cookies, you should navigate. Our social media Protection Partner program Partner program to detect if some information! Our dark web monitoring solution automatically detects nefarious activity and exfiltrated content on the deep and dark web on June. Be more significant depending on the recent disruption of the year and to in! The Netwalker data leak site human-operated ransomware that started operation in August 2020, they! Is not returned to the larger knowledge base stolen victims on Maze 's data leak a. Access data Tyler Technologies what is a dedicated leak site and SoftServe full bid amount, the exfiltrated data still. Mitigating compliance risk operating since 2014/2015, the groups differed in their responses the. Apt group known as Everbe knows everything, but its important to understand difference... Activity since June 2020 informed about your data leaks so you can take actions quickly started in the half. Launched a data leak gang is demanding multi-million dollar ransom payments in some.. Key, the Mount Locker ransomware operation that launched at the beginning of and! As a CryptoMix variantand soon became the ransomware of choice for an APT group known as TA505 intelligence. Or published to the ransom not being paid victim data will likely continue what is a dedicated leak site long organizations... Has not been released, as well as an early warning of potential further attacks example of data.