www.darkreading.com Open in urlscan Pro
2606:4700::6812:6d2f  Public Scan

Form analysis
0 forms found in the DOM

Text Content

Dark Reading is part of the Informa Tech Division of Informa PLC
Informa PLC|ABOUT US|INVESTOR RELATIONS|TALENT
This site is operated by a business or businesses owned by Informa PLC and all
copyright resides with them. Informa PLC's registered office is 5 Howick Place,
London SW1P 1WG. Registered in England and Wales and Scotlan. Number 8860726.

Black Hat NewsOmdia Cybersecurity

Newsletter Sign-Up

Newsletter Sign-Up

Cybersecurity Topics

RELATED TOPICS

 * Application Security
 * Cybersecurity Careers
 * Cloud Security
 * Cyber Risk
 * Cyberattacks & Data Breaches
 * Cybersecurity Analytics
 * Cybersecurity Operations
 * Data Privacy
 * Endpoint Security
 * ICS/OT Security

 * Identity & Access Mgmt Security
 * Insider Threats
 * IoT
 * Mobile Security
 * Perimeter
 * Physical Security
 * Remote Workforce
 * Threat Intelligence
 * Vulnerabilities & Threats


World

RELATED TOPICS

 * DR Global

 * Middle East & Africa

See All
The Edge
DR Technology
Events

RELATED TOPICS

 * Upcoming Events

 * Webinars

SEE ALL
Resources

RELATED TOPICS

 * Library
 * Newsletters
 * Reports
 * Videos
 * Webinars
 * Whitepapers

 * 
 * 
 * 
 * 
 * Partner Perspectives:
 * > Microsoft

SEE ALL


 * Threat Intelligence
 * Cyber Risk


AFTER LOCKBIT, ALPHV TAKEDOWNS, RAAS STARTUPS GO ON A RECRUITING DRIVE

Law enforcement action hasn't eradicated ransomware groups, but it has shaken up
the cyber underground and sown distrust among thieves.

Nate Nelson, Contributing Writer

March 20, 2024

5 Min Read
Source: Zoonar GmbH via Alamy Stock Photo


High-profile takedowns of brand-name ransomware operations are starting to have
a real impact, sowing discord among hackers and causing major shifts in the
cyber underground.

The US and European Union governments have ramped up efforts to disrupt
ransomware-as-a-service (RaaS) operations in recent months, most notably with
headline-grabbing coordinated actions against the infamous LockBit and
ALPHV/BlackCat groups. Police have identified ringleaders, seized malicious
infrastructure and data — including information about affiliates — and even
trolled adversaries with messages posted to their leak sites.



Though well-intentioned, these missions tend to receive criticism when,
inevitably, remnants of such large, diffuse groups pop up days or weeks after
their reported demise. After all, if the threat actors aren't being eradicated,
what's the point?

A new report from GuidePoint Security on the current state of the ransomware
ecosystem supplies that answer.

Thanks to the drama surrounding household RaaS groups, affiliates — the hackers
who actually carry out attacks on their behalf — have increasingly moved away
from them, toward lesser-known RaaS upstarts offering what they couldn't: trust.



"The question has been for years: How do we stop ransomware?" says Drew Schmitt,
practice lead for the GuidePoint Research and Intelligence Team (GRIT). "One of
the pieces of the answer could be creating distrust between groups and their
affiliates."


HOW LOCKBIT AND ALPHV LOST THEIR CRED

"At first glance, if you don't really dive into the details, you might say that
law enforcement was unsuccessful in their operations," Schmitt admits.



"But when you dive a little bit deeper, you realize that there are quite a few
consequences for the ransomware groups that weren't really about taking down
their infrastructure permanently," he adds. "And I think the biggest one is
influencing these bigger groups to make decisions or take actions that
ultimately hurt their credibility."

The strangest instance of this occurred following ALPHV's takedown last
December. After an effort to rebuild its infrastructure and its reputation —
offering affiliates a greater cut of their winnings, and lifting certain
targeting restrictions — the group found a way to actually capitalize on its
loss, using an exit scam. When one of its affiliates pulled off a $22 million
dollar heist of United Healthcare a few weeks back, the group disregarded its
profit-sharing agreement, keeping the entirety of the winnings and claiming that
they were defeated by law enforcement yet again. The affiliate has published
chat logs and blockchain data to suggest otherwise.





Affiliate exposes ALPHV's exit scam. Source: GuidePoint Security

In LockBit's case, even law enforcement's petty trolling has had a material
reputational impact. As part of Operation Cronos, law enforcement posted to
LockBit's leak site that "LockbitSupp has engaged with Law Enforcement ☺," which
dented the RaaS leader's street cred, and, if true, put all its affiliates at
risk as well.

As trust wanes in the formerly most-trusted names in ransomware, other groups
are attempting to step in and take their place.


RAAS STARTUPS WANT YOU

In the vacuum left by larger groups, Schmitt has observed, "We see a kind of
back-and-forth between some of these smaller groups, like LockBit and ALPHV had
in the years past, competing against one another. This is very similar in my
mind to how many different emerging companies in the same type of product or
area in the market compete with one another, always trying to change and evolve
and really make themselves a standout."



The startup RaaS Cloak, for example, recently posted to the underground forum
UFO Labs offering an above-average 85/15 profit sharing split, with no upfront
payment required to access its purportedly strong and modifiable signature
malware.

The midmarket RaaS group Medusa is trying to sweep up former ALPHV and LockBit
affiliates by offering 24/7 access to its administrative, advertising, and
negotiating teams, and a sliding scale payment sharing model which starts at
70/30, but rises to 90/10 for ransoms in excess of $1 million.

Another upstart group called "RansomHub," recruiting from the same
Russian-language underground forum as Medusa — RAMP — advertises a flat 90/10
split and a policy that affiliates can freely contract with other groups, as
well. But its core value proposition is about trust.

RansomHub's RAMP recruitment post. Source: Guidepoint Security

"We have noticed that some affiliates have been seized by the police or have
escaped from fraudulent activity causing you to lose your funds," the group
wrote online. To assuage any concerns that they'll do the same, RansomHub has
reversed the traditional model: Instead of controlling all the funds and paying
out affiliates their share, affiliates control their own wallets and pay
RansomHub.

Evidently, Schmitt notes, "There's a kind of pendulum shift happening right now,
where these groups are trying to figure out where they can capitalize on the
distrust in bigger groups like LockBit and ALPHV."

"Ransomware has traditionally been a very reactive type of cybercrime," he says,
"and this is where we're at now. It's all very volatile, and we'll have to see
how this plays out."




ABOUT THE AUTHOR(S)

Nate Nelson, Contributing Writer



Nate Nelson is a freelance writer based in New York City. Formerly a reporter at
Threatpost, he contributes to a number of cybersecurity blogs and podcasts. He
writes "Malicious Life" -- an award-winning Top 20 tech podcast on Apple and
Spotify -- and hosts every other episode, featuring interviews with leading
voices in security. He also co-hosts "The Industrial Security Podcast," the most
popular show in its field.

See more from Nate Nelson, Contributing Writer
Keep up with the latest cybersecurity threats, newly discovered vulnerabilities,
data breach information, and emerging trends. Delivered daily or weekly right to
your email inbox.

Subscribe

You May Also Like

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Threat Intelligence

Octo Tempest Group Threatens Physical Violence as Social Engineering Tactic
Threat Intelligence

Dell Credentials Bug Opens VMware Environments to Takeover
Threat Intelligence

Spyware Gamed 1.5M Users of Google Play Store
Threat Intelligence

Suspicious Smartwatches Mailed to US Army Personnel
More Insights
Webinars

 * How To Optimize and Accelerate Cybersecurity Initiatives for Your Business
   
   March 26, 2024

 * Building a Modern Endpoint Strategy for 2024 and Beyond
   
   March 27, 2024

 * Building a Modern Endpoint Strategy for 2024 and Beyond
   
   March 27, 2024

 * Guarding the Cloud: Top 5 Cloud Security Hacks and How You Can Avoid Them
   
   April 4, 2024

 * Cybersecurity Strategies for Small and Med Sized Businesses
   
   April 11, 2024

More Webinars
Events

 * CYBERSECURITY’S HOTTEST NEW TECHNOLOGIES: WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
   
   March 21, 2024

 * Cybersecurity's Hottest New Technologies - Dark Reading March 21 Event
   
   March 21, 2024

 * Black Hat Asia - April 16-19 - Learn More
   
   April 16, 2024

More Events



EDITOR'S CHOICE

zero trust networks
Cybersecurity Operations
6 CISO Takeaways From the NSA's Zero-Trust Guidance6 CISO Takeaways From the
NSA's Zero-Trust Guidance
byRobert Lemos, Contributing Writer
Mar 15, 2024
5 Min Read

A hand holding a tablet device with a hologram of a digital brain floating above
it
Сloud Security
ML Model Repositories: The Next Big Supply Chain Attack TargetML Model
Repositories: The Next Big Supply Chain Attack Target
byJai Vijayan, Contributing Writer
Mar 18, 2024
4 Min Read
Fujitsu office building
Cyberattacks & Data Breaches
Fujitsu: Malware on Company Computers Exposed Customer DataFujitsu: Malware on
Company Computers Exposed Customer Data
byBecky Bracken, Editor, Dark Reading
Mar 18, 2024
2 Min Read

Electronic circuit board close up
Cyber Risk
'GhostRace' Speculative Execution Attack Impacts All CPU, OS Vendors'GhostRace'
Speculative Execution Attack Impacts All CPU, OS Vendors
byJai Vijayan, Contributing Writer
Mar 15, 2024
3 Min Read
Reports

 * Industrial Networks in the Age of Digitalization

 * Zero-Trust Adoption Driven by Data Protection

 * How Enterprises Assess Their Cyber-Risk

 * SANS 2021 Cloud Security Survey

 * SANS Institute Survey: The State of Cloud Security

More Reports
White Papers

 * Collective defense is more important than ever--is your workforce ready?

 * Cheat Sheet - 5 Strategic Security Checkpoints

 * Endpoint Best Practices to Block Ransomware

 * Threat Intelligence: Data, People and Processes

 * Mandiant Threat Intelligence at Penn State Health

More Whitepapers
Events

 * CYBERSECURITY’S HOTTEST NEW TECHNOLOGIES: WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
   
   March 21, 2024

 * Cybersecurity's Hottest New Technologies - Dark Reading March 21 Event
   
   March 21, 2024

 * Black Hat Asia - April 16-19 - Learn More
   
   April 16, 2024

More Events





DISCOVER MORE WITH INFORMA TECH

Black HatOmdia

WORKING WITH US

About UsAdvertiseReprints

JOIN US


Newsletter Sign-Up

FOLLOW US



Copyright © 2024 Informa PLC Informa UK Limited is a company registered in
England and Wales with company number 1072954 whose registered office is 5
Howick Place, London, SW1P 1WG.

Home|Cookie Policy|Privacy|Terms of Use

Cookies Button


ABOUT COOKIES ON THIS SITE

We and our partners use cookies to enhance your website experience, learn how
our site is used, offer personalised features, measure the effectiveness of our
services, and tailor content and ads to your interests while you navigate on the
web or interact with us across devices. You can choose to accept all of these
cookies or only essential cookies. To learn more or manage your preferences,
click “Settings”. For further information about the data we collect from you,
please see our Privacy Policy

Accept All
Settings



COOKIE PREFERENCE CENTER

When you visit any website, it may store or retrieve information on your
browser, mostly in the form of cookies. This information might be about you,
your preferences or your device and is mostly used to make the site work as you
expect it to. The information does not usually directly identify you, but it can
give you a more personalized web experience. Because we respect your right to
privacy, you can choose not to allow some types of cookies. Click on the
different category headings to find out more and change our default settings.
However, blocking some types of cookies may impact your experience of the site
and the services we are able to offer.
More information
Allow All


MANAGE CONSENT PREFERENCES

STRICTLY NECESSARY COOKIES

Always Active

These cookies are necessary for the website to function and cannot be switched
off in our systems. They are usually only set in response to actions made by you
which amount to a request for services, such as setting your privacy
preferences, logging in or filling in forms.    You can set your browser to
block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not then
work. These cookies do not store any personally identifiable information.

Cookies Details‎

PERFORMANCE COOKIES

Performance Cookies

These cookies allow us to count visits and traffic sources so we can measure and
improve the performance of our site. They help us to know which pages are the
most and least popular and see how visitors move around the site.    All
information these cookies collect is aggregated and therefore anonymous. If you
do not allow these cookies we will not know when you have visited our site, and
will not be able to monitor its performance.

Cookies Details‎

FUNCTIONAL COOKIES

Functional Cookies

These cookies enable the website to provide enhanced functionality and
personalisation. They may be set by us or by third party providers whose
services we have added to our pages.    If you do not allow these cookies then
some or all of these services may not function properly.

Cookies Details‎

TARGETING COOKIES

Targeting Cookies

These cookies may be set through our site by our advertising partners. They may
be used by those companies to build a profile of your interests and show you
relevant adverts on other sites.    They do not store directly personal
information, but are based on uniquely identifying your browser and internet
device. If you do not allow these cookies, you will experience less targeted
advertising.

Cookies Details‎
Back Button


BACK



Search Icon
Filter Icon

Clear
checkbox label label
Apply Cancel
Consent Leg.Interest
checkbox label label
checkbox label label
checkbox label label

 * 
   
   View Cookies
   
    * Name
      cookie name

Confirm My Choices