Cybercrime is not a new phenomenon but the wide adoption of cybercriminal activity by ransomware gangs have made it more effective and lucrative. Ransomware coupled with cryptocurrency payments increase the chance of success and return on investment for cybercriminal groups. Several organizations are faced with various ransomware attacks weekly but many incidents don’t make it into the news. High-profile businesses, government agencies, and small businesses have all fallen victim to ransomware attacks. Some groups operate Ransomware as a Service where hackers rent a ransomware program to infect and extort victims.
In this article, we will look at the top ransomware gangs that pose serious threats to businesses.
1. Conti Ransomware Group
This ransomware group is very prolific in attacking various targets. It also goes by other names such as Ryuk and Wizard spider. Conti gang is reported to be responsible for 13.5% of ransomware attacks so far according to the research by BlackFog. It is considered as the most successful ransomware gang with a total of 352 successful attacks since its founding and up to 63 successful attacks this year according to an Esentire report.
Conti is Notorious for targeting healthcare organizations. In March of this year, it attacked the Irish Healthcare system prompting the FBI to issue warnings about it.
The group has no limit on the type of organization it can attack. It has targeted healthcare as well as educational institutions such as the Broward County School District.
The Conti gang is considered the greatest threat to health care. It is involved in multiple attacks against Healthcare organizations especially during the covid-19.
It disrupted Ireland’s healthcare system in May when the country refused to pay a ransom.
2. Revil Gang
Revil is the most popular ransomware group. It is known to be the most expensive group with an appetite for costly ransom demands. Revil gang also goes by other names such as Sodin and Sodinokibi.
It is believed to be the offshoot of the disbanded GandCrab group. Revil’s malware code is present in 13% of all ransomware attacks observed this year. It is reported to have carried out 52 attacks from January to April of this year.
Revil is infamous for carrying out an attack against an apple supply chain company called Quanta and demanding over $50 million in ransom. It was also responsible for the attack on computer electronics manufacturer Acer with a similar 50 million dollars ransom demand.
Revil operates a Ransomware as a Service Business model that equips any attacker regardless of skill level to launch effective cyberattacks.
3. DarkSide
DarkSide is a relatively new group but has carried out several attacks against businesses. Darkside malware is found in about 11.5% of ransomware attacks. The group leverages publicity to improve its success rate. It is best known for the attack on the Colonial Pipeline which cut off the oil supply to the east coast of the US this year.
Darkside tries to provide professional services to its affiliates and is known to offer and support services to restore victims’ data after ransom payments.
4. Clop Ransomware Group
Clop which also goes by the name Fancycat is another notorious ransomware gang with hacking operations across the world. It has been linked to a number of high-profile ransomware attacks including those on Bombardier Jet manufacturer, Flagstar bank, Qualys security, and several universities through a supply chain vulnerability.
Clop also engages in the blackmail of the victim’s customers. They contact breached company’s customers and threaten to release their personal data in order to put more pressure on the company. The Gang is reported to be involved in about 35 attacks this year and its code is found in 11.5% of ransomware attacks.
After the arrest of some members this year, other gang members have been releasing stolen private data from various companies online.
5. Ragnar Locker
Ragnar ransomware group uses one of the most advanced malware that is able to hide inside an infected network by deploying as a virtual machine. Ragnar ransomware group has been responsible for attacks against various companies including Cloud service providers construction and enterprise software companies.
The ransomware Gang breached DRAM manufacturer ADATA and energy giant Energias de Portugal.
6. Netwalker Ransomware Gang
Netalker ransomware targets organizations worldwide. Notable victims of Netwalker include the Stone Group Australian company, California universities Covid-19 research as well as Pakistan’s largest private electric company.
After a successful attack Netwalker group usually posts a sample of the stolen data on the dark web as proof of breach.
7. DopplePaymer Group
This group was discovered in 2019 and it is behind the BitPaymer ransomware program. This ransomware virus is found in about 6.6% of all ransomware attacks according to BlackFog. Esentire reports that the gang carried out 59 successful attacks this year.
It targeted healthcare systems in Europe. A patient died after DopplePaymer sabotaged the emergency communication system in a German hospital.
8. Babuk Ransomware
Babuk was discovered this year and it accounts for 4.9% of all ransomware attacks from January to May. The Babuk gang has already attacked about 5 big enterprises.
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Ransomware is not going away anytime soon owing to its profitability. All organizations are a target regardless of size. Thus, it is important for your business organizations to prepare for a potential ransomware attack.
Educate your employee about phishing which is the popular method of deploying ransomware. Also, deploy Identity and Access Management(IAM) solutions that include multi-factor authentication and login systems to restrict access to sensitive data. To prevent data leakage in the event of a breach, encrypt all organization’s sensitive data.
Don’t wait till you become a victim, get in touch with SDTEK to deploy ransomware protection solutions for your business.
