what is a dedicated leak site

We carry out open source research, threat group analysis, cryptocurrency tracing and investigations, and we support incident response teams and SOCs with our cyber threat investigations capability. With features that include machine learning, behavioral preventions and executable quarantining, the Falcon platform has proven to be highly effective at stopping ransomware and other common techniques criminal organizations employ. Dedicated to delivering institutional quality market analysis, investor education courses, news, and winning buy/sell recommendations - 100% FREE! By closing this message or continuing to use our site, you agree to the use of cookies. Keep up with the latest news and happenings in the everevolving cybersecurity landscape. Some of their victims include Texas Department of Transportation(TxDOT),Konica Minolta, IPG Photonics, Tyler Technologies, and SoftServe. Find the information you're looking for in our library of videos, data sheets, white papers and more. 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. It also provides a level of reassurance if data has not been released, as well as an early warning of potential further attacks. As Malwarebytes notes, ransom negotiations and data leaks are typically coordinated from ALPHVs dark web site, but it appears that the miscreants took a different approach with at least one of their victims. These walls of shame are intended to pressure targeted organisations into paying the ransom, but they can also be used proactively. Copyright 2023. In July 2019, a new ransomware appeared that looked and acted just like another ransomware called BitPaymer. Learn about the technology and alliance partners in our Social Media Protection Partner program. Privacy Policy The insidious initiative is part of a new strategy to leverage ransoms by scaring victims with the threat of exposing sensitive information to the public eye. Learn about our unique people-centric approach to protection. Prevent data loss via negligent, compromised and malicious insiders by correlating content, behavior and threats. Todays cyber attacks target people. 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 cartel1. Data leak sites are usually dedicated dark web pages that post victim names and details. Loyola University computers containing sensitive student information had been disposed of without wiping the hard drives. Some threat actors provide sample documents, others dont. In another example of escalatory techniques, SunCrypt explained that a target had stopped communicating for 48 hours mid-negotiation. Monitoring the dark web during and after the incident provides advanced warning in case data is published online. Double extortion is mainly used by ransomware groups as a means of maximising profits, an established practice of Maze, REvil, and Conti, and others. Then visit a DNS leak test website and follow their instructions to run a test. 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. Babuk Locker is a new ransomware operation that launched at the beginning of 2021 and has since amassed a small list of victims worldwide. Figure 4. Sign up for our newsletter and learn how to protect your computer from threats. 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. In March, Nemtycreated a data leak site to publish the victim's data. Subscribe to the SecurityWeek Email Briefing to stay informed on the latest threats, trends, and technology, along with insightful columns from industry experts. However, this year, the number surged to 1966 organizations, representing a 47% increase YoY. The Lockbit ransomware outfit has now established a dedicated site to leak stolen private data, enabling it to extort selected targets twice. SunCrypt launched a data leak sitein August 2020, where they publish the stolen data for victims who do not pay a ransom. Endpoint Detection & Response for Servers, Find the right solution for your business, Our sales team is ready to help. However, the apparent collaboration between members of the Maze Cartel is more unusual and has the potential to alter the TTPs used in the ransomware threat landscape. The first part of this two-part blog series, , BGH and extortion and introduced some of the criminal adversaries that are currently dominating the data leak extortion ecosystem. An error in a Texas Universitys software allowed users with access to also access names, courses, and grades for 12,000 students. This group's ransomware activities gained media attention after encrypting 267 servers at Maastricht University. Because this is unlike anything ALPHV has done before, it's possible that this is being done by an affiliate, and it may turn out to be a mistake. Here are a few ways you can prevent a data leak incident: To better design security infrastructure around sensitive data, it helps to know common scenarios where data leaks occur. SunCrypt is a ransomware that has been operating since the end of 2019, but have recently become more active after joining the 'Maze Cartel.'. 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. Some of the most common of these include: . We found stolen databases for sale on both of the threat actors dark web pages, which detailed the data volume and the organisations name. Become a channel partner. 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. TWISTED SPIDERs reputation as a prolific ransomware operator arguably bolsters the reputation of the newer operators and could encourage the victim to pay the ransom demand. New MortalKombat ransomware targets systems in the U.S. ChatGPT is down worldwide - OpenAI working on issues, Terms of Use - Privacy Policy - Ethics Statement, Copyright @ 2003 - 2023 Bleeping Computer LLC - All Rights Reserved. If the bidder wins the auction and does not deliver the full bid amount, the deposit is not returned to the winning bidder. Avaddon ransomware began operating in June2020 when they launched in a spam campaign targeting users worldwide. Human error is a significant risk for organizations, and a data leak is often the result of insider threats, often unintentional but just as damaging as a data breach. 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. Usually, cybercriminals demand payment for the key that will allow the company to decrypt its files. Design, CMS, Hosting & Web Development :: ePublishing, This website requires certain cookies to work and uses other cookies to help you have the best experience. They can assess and verify the nature of the stolen data and its level of sensitivity. Browse our webinar library to learn about the latest threats, trends and issues in cybersecurity. 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. 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. However, these advertisements do not appear to be restricted to ransomware operations and could instead enable espionage and other nefarious activity. As part of the rebrand, they also began stealing data from companies before encrypting their files and leaking them if not paid. In order to place a bid or pay the provided Blitz Price, the bidder is required to register for a particular leak auction. 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. It's often used as a first-stage infection, with the primary job of fetching secondary malware . Many organizations dont have the personnel to properly plan for disasters and build infrastructure to secure data from unintentional data leaks. The timeline in Figure 5 provides a view of data leaks from over 230 victims from November 11, 2019, until May 2020. In the middle of a ransomware incident, cyber threat intelligence research on the threat group can provide valuable information for negotiations. Dedicated IP address. 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. 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. Data leak sites are yet another tactic created by attackers to pressure victims into paying as soon as possible. The exact nature of the collaboration between Maze Cartels members is unconfirmed; it is unknown if the actors actively participate in the same operations. Be it the number of companies affected or the number of new leak sites - the cybersecurity landscape is in the worst state it has ever been. Ransomware profile: Wizard Spider / Conti, Bad magic: when patient zero disappears without a trace, ProxyShell: the latest critical threat to unpatched Exchange servers, Maze threat group were the first to employ the method, identified targeted organisations that did not comply, multiple techniques to keep the target at the negotiation table, Asceris' dark web monitoring and cyber threat intelligence services. and cookie policy to learn more about the cookies we use and how we use your 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. According to Malwarebytes, the following message was posted on the site: "Inaction endangers both your employees and your guests The ransomware operators quickly fixed their bugs and released a new version of the ransomware under the name Ranzy Locker. Employee data, including social security numbers, financial information and credentials. Although affiliates perform the attacks, the ransom negotiations and data leaks are typically coordinated from a single ALPHV website, hosted on the dark web. this website. . 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. An excellent example of a data leak is a misconfigured Amazon Web Services (AWS) S3 bucket. Dislodgement of the gastrostomy tube could be another cause for tube leak. DoppelPaymer targets its victims through remote desktop hacks and access given by the Dridex trojan. To change your DNS settings in Windows 10, do the following: Go to the Control Panel. High profile victims of DoppelPaymer include Bretagne Tlcom and the City of Torrance in Los Angeles county. 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. [removed] [deleted] 2 yr. ago. Copyright 2022 Asceris Ltd. All rights reserved. Access the full range of Proofpoint support services. They were publicly available to anyone willing to pay for them. 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. https[:]//news.sophos[.]com/en-us/2020/09/17/maze-attackers-adopt-ragnar-locker-virtual-machine-technique/. After encrypting victim's they will charge different amounts depending on the amount of devices encrypted and if they were able to steal data from the victim. You will be the first informed about your data leaks so you can take actions quickly. Not just in terms of the infrastructure legacy, on-premises, hybrid, multi-cloud, and edge. Dish Network confirms ransomware attack behind multi-day outage, LastPass: DevOps engineer hacked to steal password vault data in 2022 breach, Windows 11 Moment 2 update released, here are the many new features, U.S. It does this by sourcing high quality videos from a wide variety of websites on . The conventional tools we rely on to defend corporate networks are creating gaps in network visibility and in our capabilities to secure them. Disarm BEC, phishing, ransomware, supply chain threats and more. by Malwarebytes Labs. 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. A data leak results in a data breach, but it does not require exploiting an unknown vulnerability. It was even indexed by Google, Malwarebytes says. 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. By contrast, PLEASE_READ_MEs tactics were simpler, exploiting exposed MySQL services in attacks that required no reconnaissance, privilege escalation or lateral movement. Also, fraudsters promise to either remove or not make the stolen data publicly available on the dark web. Like with most cybercrime statistics, 2021 is a record year in terms of how many new websites of this kind appeared on the dark web. In August 2020, operators of SunCrypt ransomware claimed they were a new addition to the Maze Cartel the claim was refuted by TWISTED SPIDER. 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. [deleted] 2 yr. ago. MyVidster isn't a video hosting site. 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. If users are not willing to bid on leaked information, this business model will not suffice as an income stream. Victims are usually named on the attackers data leak site, but the nature and the volume of data that is presented varies considerably by threat group. People who follow the cybercrime landscape likely already realize that 2021 was the worst year to date in terms of companies affected by data breaches. ALPHV, also known as BlackCat, created a leak site on the regular web, betting it can squeeze money out of victims faster than a dark web site. By closing this message or continuing to use our site, you agree to the use of cookies. A data leak site (DLS) is exactly that - a website created solely for the purpose of selling stolen data obtained after a successful ransomware attack. Its a great addition, and I have confidence that customers systems are protected.". Payment for delete stolen files was not received. But while all ransomware groups share the same objective, they employ different tactics to achieve their goal. Charles Sennewald brings a time-tested blend of common sense, wisdom, and humor to this bestselling introduction to workplace dynamics. On June 2, 2020, CrowdStrike Intelligence observed PINCHY SPIDER introduce a new auction feature to their REvil DLS. A message on the site makes it clear that this is about ramping up pressure: Inaction endangers both your employees and your guests . 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. RansomExxransomware is a rebranded version of the Defray777 ransomwareand has seen increased activity since June 2020.