RansomHub's Path to Dominance in the Ransomware Landscape

In a cybersecurity landscape increasingly dominated by formidable adversaries, RansomHub has emerged as a prominent player.

RansomHub Made More Than 210 Victims Since February

Originating in February, the cybercrime syndicate quickly accumulated a disturbing portfolio of 210 victims, highlighting the group’s strategic acumen and adept recruitment from defunct crime powerhouses like ALPHV and LockBit.

RansomHub’s aggressive expansion into various sectors – including emergency services and critical infrastructure – showcases its affiliates’ indiscriminate approach to targets.

Joint Advisory Elaborates on Group’s Modus Operandi

A recent joint advisory from the FBI, Department of Health & Human Services (HHS), Multi-State Information Sharing and Analysis Center (MS-ISAC), and Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) highlights some of the group’s favorite tactics, techniques and procedures (TTPs), to arm defenders with the insight needed to mitigate these threats.

“The affiliates leverage a double-extortion model by encrypting systems and exfiltrating data to extort victims,” reads the advisory. “It should be noted that data exfiltration methods are dependent on the affiliate conducting the network compromise.”

Mitigating Threats Includes Fundamental Cybersecurity Practices

The advisory stresses the importance of vulnerability management, particularly newly exploited ones alongside older, potent flaws like CVE-2017-0144 and Zerologon.

Among the defensive strategies suggested within the advisory are fundamental cybersecurity practices such as network segmentation, prioritizing software updates and implementing robust password policies.

RansomHub’s Fight For Supremacy

Earlier this year, LockBit and ALPHV dominated the ransomware scene, while RansomHub didn’t yet exist. Now, RansomHub is rapidly rising to prominence, potentially replacing once-dominant players in the cyberthreat landscape, and even recruiting from their ranks.

Meanwhile, the competition has intensified, with groups like Qilin, Play, INC and Akira also vying for supremacy, each showcasing formidable capabilities and similar victim counts.

Protecting Against Ransomware and Other Cyber Threats

Specialized software like Bitdefender Ultimate Security can give you a winning hand in the battle against cyber crooks by efficiently detecting and deterring ransomware and other digital intrusions.

It protects against viruses, worms, Trojans, ransomware, spyware, rootkits, and zero-day exploits and features a wide range of advanced features, including multi-layer ransomware protection, network threat prevention, behavioral detection, and complete real-time data protection modules.