Lockbit Lays Down 9 Victims

Lockbit went on a rampage recently, counting no fewer than 9 victims, spread across multiple countries. These are Senegal, France, India, Kuwait, and Spain. The target companies are active in different fields, such as transportation, health, and petrochemicals.

• Lockbit operators posted short summaries of the companies targeted during the attack, along with the deadline they needed to meet for negotiations
• Lockbit hackers are known to be quite blunt during negotiations and typically demand high ransoms based on the victims’ revenues
• This attack comes one day after another one that claimed 2 victims
• Lockbit currently ranks as the most (in)famous ransomware organization, with thousands of victims and over $120 million in ransomware gains

Ransomware attacks have been on a growing trend over the past year with one reason for that being the emergence of multiple new ransomware gangs. Lockbit is among the few gangs that have been around for several years.

The organization first appeared in 2020 and has come a long way since. The group is now responsible for around 25% to 33% of the total number of ransomware attacks. On a global scale.

Lockbit has targeted all industries with no clear-cut preference other than the ones that bring in the most money. The organization uses several MOs but prefers spear-phishing and direct attacks to gain access to their victims’ systems.

From that point on, everything goes smooth and to-the-point. The hackers encrypt the available files and exfiltrate the target data. They also leave behind a ransomware note, guiding the victim to their TOR network for contact.