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Hackers compromised five law firms in the United States and demanded two ransoms of 100 BTC from each: one to restore access to the data, the other to remove their copy and non-disclosure.
According to data provided by Emsisoft, a cyber security firm, Maze has already begun publishing some of the data stolen from law firms. Two out of five companies were hacked in late January.
Hackers published data on two websites. Maze first publishes the name of the hacked companies on its website and, if they refuse to pay, publish a small portion of the stolen data as evidence. Gradually, the group continues to publish confidential data, and when the firm pays the ransom, hackers remove all information from their website.
Emsisoft threat analyst Brett Callow said that "the group also posted data on Russian hacker forums marked" Use this information in any malicious way. " Therefore, he believes that hackers will publish more data if hacked firms do not pay. But payment of the ransom does not guarantee a solution to the problem:
Callow talked about the possible ransomware profits. He explained that last year Emsisoft received more than 200,000 allegations of extortion, and, according to his estimates, this represents about 25% of the total number of such cases. Thus, in 2019, at least 800,000 attacks were carried out. On average, hackers demand about $ 80,000, respectively, last year extortionists could earn up to $ 64 billion.
According to Callow, since the ransomware began to steal confidential data, this “can lead to more stringent legislative measures against hackers, web hosting and cryptocurrency exchanges.” He said:
According to data provided by Emsisoft, a cyber security firm, Maze has already begun publishing some of the data stolen from law firms. Two out of five companies were hacked in late January.
Hackers published data on two websites. Maze first publishes the name of the hacked companies on its website and, if they refuse to pay, publish a small portion of the stolen data as evidence. Gradually, the group continues to publish confidential data, and when the firm pays the ransom, hackers remove all information from their website.
Emsisoft threat analyst Brett Callow said that "the group also posted data on Russian hacker forums marked" Use this information in any malicious way. " Therefore, he believes that hackers will publish more data if hacked firms do not pay. But payment of the ransom does not guarantee a solution to the problem:
Quote:
“It seems extremely unlikely that criminals will delete the data that they can monetize later.”
Callow explained that ransomware groups started stealing data at the end of 2019, rather than simply encrypting it. Now cybercriminals also threaten victims with the publication of confidential data in order to extort payments. He said that “hacker groups have stolen and published data from law and accounting firms (including customer information), medical organizations and medical testing laboratories (including patient information), and insurance companies.”
“It seems extremely unlikely that criminals will delete the data that they can monetize later.”
Callow explained that ransomware groups started stealing data at the end of 2019, rather than simply encrypting it. Now cybercriminals also threaten victims with the publication of confidential data in order to extort payments. He said that “hacker groups have stolen and published data from law and accounting firms (including customer information), medical organizations and medical testing laboratories (including patient information), and insurance companies.”
Callow talked about the possible ransomware profits. He explained that last year Emsisoft received more than 200,000 allegations of extortion, and, according to his estimates, this represents about 25% of the total number of such cases. Thus, in 2019, at least 800,000 attacks were carried out. On average, hackers demand about $ 80,000, respectively, last year extortionists could earn up to $ 64 billion.
According to Callow, since the ransomware began to steal confidential data, this “can lead to more stringent legislative measures against hackers, web hosting and cryptocurrency exchanges.” He said:
Quote:
“Such legal actions and the fact that incidents lead to the disclosure of confidential data are likely to increase people's awareness of such cases. In turn, this can lead to the fact that the opinion of cryptocurrencies as tools of criminals will gain a foothold in society, which will damage the image of the industry. ”
Recently, Proofpoint, a cyber-security company, said that in 2019, more than half of all public and private organizations in the United States were subjected to virus attacks and phishing. In addition, New York state senators have prepared a bill proposing to prohibit the payment of taxpayer money to hackers spreading ransomware viruses and demanding a ransom in cryptocurrencies.“Such legal actions and the fact that incidents lead to the disclosure of confidential data are likely to increase people's awareness of such cases. In turn, this can lead to the fact that the opinion of cryptocurrencies as tools of criminals will gain a foothold in society, which will damage the image of the industry. ”