#1 Trending Cyber Security News & Magazine
Thursday, June 8, 2023
No Result
View All Result
The Cyber Express
  • MagazineDownload
  • Firewall Daily
    • All
    • Dark Web News
    • Data Breach News
    • Hacking News
    • Ransomware News
    • Vulnerabilities
    Longhorn Cyber Attack

    Longhorn Cyber Attack Puts Data of 28000 Patients at Risk

    Thai Meteorological Department Cyber Attack

    Thai Meteorological Department Cyber Attack, LockBit Sets Deadline

    Lockbit Ransomware

    Cross City Tunnel and 23 New Victims: Lockbit Ransomware Gang Goes on a Hacking Spree

    MOVEit Data Leak

    Cl0p Ransomware Extends MOVEit Data Leak Deadline to June 14

    OpenAI Cyber Attack

    OpenAI Cyber Attack: Anonymous Sudan Claims to Carry ‘Test Attack’ on ChatGPT Creator

    HelloTeacher malware

    HelloTeacher Malware Impersonates Messaging Apps to Target Vietnamese Users

    MOVEit Vulnerability

    MOVEit Vulnerability Hits British Airways, BBC And More; Cl0p Ransomware Claims Attacks

    Adstra Cyber Attack

    LockBit Ransomware Group Claims Responsibility of Adstra Cyber Attack

    SEC charges Binance

    SEC Charges Binance and Founder Changpeng Zhao with 13 Violations

    Trending Tags

    • blackbyte ransomware
    • Ransomware
    • lapsus$ ransomware
    • Apple
    • Apple vulnerability
  • Essentials
    • All
    • Compliance
    • Governance
    • Policy Updates
    • Regulations
    Martin Sloan, Five Years Of GDPR

    Five Years of GDPR: There is a Long Way to Run on Cross-Border Data Transfers

    Nokoyawa Ransomware Group

    All You Need to Know About The Nokoyawa Ransomware Group

    StopRansomware Guide

    Updated StopRansomware Guide Warns of Ransomware’s Shape Shifting Tactics

    Microsoft Entra

    Microsoft Build 2023: Microsoft Entra Introduced With New Identity and Access Features

    Data Protection Commission

    Irish Data Protection Commission imposes $1.3bn Fine on Meta

    US Police Auction Seized Cell Phones Without Wiping Data, Sparks Privacy Concerns

    US Police Auction Seized Cell Phones Without Wiping Data, Sparks Privacy Concerns

    disclosing cybersecurity incidents

    Why Victims Fail to Disclose Cybersecurity Incidents, And Why They Should

    Stakeholder Communication During Crisis

    Stakeholder Communication During Crisis: How to Get It Right

    Government Regulation of AI businesses

    Government Regulation of AI businesses: UK Competition Watchdog Launches Review

    • Regulations
    • Compliance
    • Governance
    • Policy Updates
  • Features
    • Cyber Warfare
    • Espionage
    • Workforce
      • Learning & Development
  • Business
    • All
    • Appointments
    • Budgets
    • Mergers & Aquisitions
    • Partnerships
    • Press Release
    • Startups
    Billtrust Appoints Ankur Ahuja

    Billtrust Appoints Ankur Ahuja as SVP and Chief Information Security Officer

    Cybertech Africa

    Cybertech Africa: The Pan-African Event for Innovation and Networking

    IBM Acquired Polar Security

    IBM Acquires Polar Security Reportedly For $60 Million

    World CyberCon Middle East 2023

    World CyberCon Middle East 2023: The Premier Cybersecurity Conference in the Region

    ODIN by Cyble

    Cyble Launches ODIN: A Revolutionary Tool for Unparalleled Internet Exploration

    cybersecurity investments

    Cybersecurity Investments Up in April, Market Watchers Predict Growth of Over $700 billion

    OilRig APT

    Experts Warn of Increased IT Supply Chain Attacks by OilRig APT in Middle East

    World Password Day 2023

    World Password Day 2023: Protect Your Password, Create an Unbreakable One

    national cybersecurity strategy

    US National Cybersecurity Strategy: Businesses, Let’s Start with Disclosure!

    • Startups
    • Mergers & Aquisitions
    • Partnerships
    • Appointments
    • Budgets
    • Research
      • Whitepapers
      • Sponsored Content
      • Market Reports
    • Interviews
      • Podcast
  • EventsCyberCon
    • World CyberCon Middle East 2023
    •  Cyber Security Webinar
    • Endorsed Events
  • ProductsTools
    • Cyble Vision
    • Cyble Hawk (LEA, Govt.)
    • Am I Breached
    • Cyble Odin (Beta)
SUBSCRIBE
  • MagazineDownload
  • Firewall Daily
    • All
    • Dark Web News
    • Data Breach News
    • Hacking News
    • Ransomware News
    • Vulnerabilities
    Longhorn Cyber Attack

    Longhorn Cyber Attack Puts Data of 28000 Patients at Risk

    Thai Meteorological Department Cyber Attack

    Thai Meteorological Department Cyber Attack, LockBit Sets Deadline

    Lockbit Ransomware

    Cross City Tunnel and 23 New Victims: Lockbit Ransomware Gang Goes on a Hacking Spree

    MOVEit Data Leak

    Cl0p Ransomware Extends MOVEit Data Leak Deadline to June 14

    OpenAI Cyber Attack

    OpenAI Cyber Attack: Anonymous Sudan Claims to Carry ‘Test Attack’ on ChatGPT Creator

    HelloTeacher malware

    HelloTeacher Malware Impersonates Messaging Apps to Target Vietnamese Users

    MOVEit Vulnerability

    MOVEit Vulnerability Hits British Airways, BBC And More; Cl0p Ransomware Claims Attacks

    Adstra Cyber Attack

    LockBit Ransomware Group Claims Responsibility of Adstra Cyber Attack

    SEC charges Binance

    SEC Charges Binance and Founder Changpeng Zhao with 13 Violations

    Trending Tags

    • blackbyte ransomware
    • Ransomware
    • lapsus$ ransomware
    • Apple
    • Apple vulnerability
  • Essentials
    • All
    • Compliance
    • Governance
    • Policy Updates
    • Regulations
    Martin Sloan, Five Years Of GDPR

    Five Years of GDPR: There is a Long Way to Run on Cross-Border Data Transfers

    Nokoyawa Ransomware Group

    All You Need to Know About The Nokoyawa Ransomware Group

    StopRansomware Guide

    Updated StopRansomware Guide Warns of Ransomware’s Shape Shifting Tactics

    Microsoft Entra

    Microsoft Build 2023: Microsoft Entra Introduced With New Identity and Access Features

    Data Protection Commission

    Irish Data Protection Commission imposes $1.3bn Fine on Meta

    US Police Auction Seized Cell Phones Without Wiping Data, Sparks Privacy Concerns

    US Police Auction Seized Cell Phones Without Wiping Data, Sparks Privacy Concerns

    disclosing cybersecurity incidents

    Why Victims Fail to Disclose Cybersecurity Incidents, And Why They Should

    Stakeholder Communication During Crisis

    Stakeholder Communication During Crisis: How to Get It Right

    Government Regulation of AI businesses

    Government Regulation of AI businesses: UK Competition Watchdog Launches Review

    • Regulations
    • Compliance
    • Governance
    • Policy Updates
  • Features
    • Cyber Warfare
    • Espionage
    • Workforce
      • Learning & Development
  • Business
    • All
    • Appointments
    • Budgets
    • Mergers & Aquisitions
    • Partnerships
    • Press Release
    • Startups
    Billtrust Appoints Ankur Ahuja

    Billtrust Appoints Ankur Ahuja as SVP and Chief Information Security Officer

    Cybertech Africa

    Cybertech Africa: The Pan-African Event for Innovation and Networking

    IBM Acquired Polar Security

    IBM Acquires Polar Security Reportedly For $60 Million

    World CyberCon Middle East 2023

    World CyberCon Middle East 2023: The Premier Cybersecurity Conference in the Region

    ODIN by Cyble

    Cyble Launches ODIN: A Revolutionary Tool for Unparalleled Internet Exploration

    cybersecurity investments

    Cybersecurity Investments Up in April, Market Watchers Predict Growth of Over $700 billion

    OilRig APT

    Experts Warn of Increased IT Supply Chain Attacks by OilRig APT in Middle East

    World Password Day 2023

    World Password Day 2023: Protect Your Password, Create an Unbreakable One

    national cybersecurity strategy

    US National Cybersecurity Strategy: Businesses, Let’s Start with Disclosure!

    • Startups
    • Mergers & Aquisitions
    • Partnerships
    • Appointments
    • Budgets
    • Research
      • Whitepapers
      • Sponsored Content
      • Market Reports
    • Interviews
      • Podcast
  • EventsCyberCon
    • World CyberCon Middle East 2023
    •  Cyber Security Webinar
    • Endorsed Events
  • ProductsTools
    • Cyble Vision
    • Cyble Hawk (LEA, Govt.)
    • Am I Breached
    • Cyble Odin (Beta)
No Result
View All Result
The Cyber Express
No Result
View All Result
Home Firewall Daily Dark Web News

Karakurt Extortion Group Strikes Again, With Two US Victims

The data extortion group has claimed to hack US-based IT services business Officeworks and stolen the social security numbers of 150 million Americans from One Corporation

Editorial by Editorial
April 7, 2023
in Dark Web News, Firewall Daily
0
Karakurt Extortion Group
614
SHARES
3.4k
VIEWS
Share on LinkedInShare on Twitter

The Karakurt extortion group is back after a hiatus, claiming two victims.  

The data extortion group has claimed to have hacked US-based IT services business Officeworks and stolen the social security numbers of 150 million Americans from One Corporation.  

You might also like

Have Your Patched This Google Chromium Vulnerability Yet?

When Hackers Take the Bait: ‘Sex Championship’ Ruse Sparks Operation OpSweden

A Tale of Two US Audits: Why Does Government Cybersecurity Preparedness Fail Miserably?

While the authenticity of this claim is yet to be verified, companies need to strap themselves as the threat actor has been regarded as one of the most notorious extortion gangs of the last year.  

The news comes after the threat actor shared a post on its underground channels, stating, “Sup hackers, Oops. We have stolen 150 million social security numbers (and dob, mail, number, address) from one corp.

“That’s one-third of the population of the United States. Advise what to do about it. Maybe someone wants to offer a good price?” 

Karakurt Extortion Group
(Source: @FalconFeedsio/Twitter)

  

Officeworks is an IT consulting firm that provides services to small and medium-sized businesses. Karakurt extortion group claim to have obtained access to 288GB of the company’s data. 

The data reportedly includes sensitive information such as employee details, birth certificates, drivers’ licenses, financial information, tax records, as well as project and property information. The company has not yet released a statement regarding the incident. 

What is Karakurt extortion group? 

The Karakurt Extortion gang is a threat actor notorious for employing data theft to extort money from corporations.  

 The group is infamous for publicly disclosing stolen data from their victims unless a Bitcoin ransom, ranging from $25,000 to $13,000,000, is paid. Since first emerging in June 2021, the group has been active in North America and Europe. 

The Karakurt actors typically provide screenshots or copies of the stolen file directories to demonstrate their possession of the stolen data.

The group has also resorted to harassing emails and phone calls to pressure the victims, their employees, business partners, and clients into complying with their demands.  

 These emails contain sensitive data, including social security numbers, payment accounts, private company emails, and confidential business data belonging to employees or clients.  

 Once the ransom is paid, Karakurt actors reportedly delete the files and occasionally provide brief explanations for the initial intrusion. 

Until January 5, 2022, the Karakurt group operated a leaks and auction website, http[s] [:] //karakurt[.] group. However, the domain and IP address of the website went offline in the spring of 2022.  

Although the website is no longer accessible on the open internet, it has reportedly surfaced on the deep and dark web.  

The website contains several terabytes of stolen data from North America and Europe victims. Also, it features press releases naming uncooperative victims and instructions for participating in victim data auctions. 

 The Karakurt extortion group’s modus operandi 

After gaining entry or developing access to a compromised system, the Karakurt actors use various tactics such as deploying Cobalt Strike beacons to scan a network. 

 Then it installs Mimikatz to extract plain-text credentials, utilizes AnyDesk to secure long-term remote control, and implement other tools based on the situation to elevate privileges and move laterally within the network. 

 It then compresses the exfiltrated data (typically using 7zip) and send large volumes of them, often exceeding 1 terabyte (TB), through open-source applications, file transfer protocols such as Filezilla, and cloud storage services like rclone and Mega.nz.  

 As per cybersecurity experts, the Karakurt Extortion group operates as a notorious Conti ransomware gang subgroup.  

Karakurt extortion group and the Conti connection 

Conti, a pro-Russian ransomware group, was one of the highly prolific threat groups in the recent past.  

The ransomware group’s demise is believed to be linked to the Russia-Ukraine war, although it is not clear whether it was the direct cause or simply a contributing factor.  

Just four days after the war’s official start, an insider leaked tens of thousands of internal chat logs, revealing the group’s size, structure, and day-to-day operations.  

The leak, which included the source code of Conti ransomware, put the final nail in the coffin. Security researchers soon discovered a connection between Conti ransomware and the Karakurt extortion group.  

 It was found that Karakurt is a side business of the Conti syndicate to make money from unsuccessful encryption attacks.  

When Conti’s ransomware payload is blocked and the attack doesn’t enter the encryption stage, the already exfiltrated information is released as Karakurt for data extortion. Arctic Wolf, a cybersecurity company, confirmed this finding in a report.   

They discovered during an investigation of a client who had previously paid Conti to unlock their data that the client was later breached by Karakurt through a Cobalt Strike backdoor that Conti had left behind.  

The research from Arctic Wolf was a collaboration between its computer security service Tetra Defense, cybersecurity company Northwave, and blockchain analysis firm Chainalysis. 

Chainalysis’ investigation revealed several Karakurt wallets that sent cryptocurrency to wallets controlled by Conti. The researchers found that payments from victims ranged from $45,000 to $1 million.  

The blockchain analytics company also found Karakurt victim payment addresses hosted by a Conti wallet, indicating that both gangs are managed by the same party. 

Share this:

  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • More
  • Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window)

Related

Tags: Karakurt Extortion Group
Previous Post

The Jerusalem Post Cyber Attack, Anonymous Sudan Claims Responsibility

Next Post

LockBit 3.0 Lists TF-AMD Microelectronics as Victim

Editorial

Editorial

The Cyber Express is a publication that aims to provide the latest news and analysis about the information security industry. The news comes from a variety of sources and is updated regularly so that readers can stay up to date with the latest happenings in this rapidly growing field.

Related Posts

Google Chromium vulnerability
Firewall Daily

Have Your Patched This Google Chromium Vulnerability Yet?

by Editorial
June 8, 2023
Operation OpSweden
Firewall Daily

When Hackers Take the Bait: ‘Sex Championship’ Ruse Sparks Operation OpSweden

by Editorial
June 8, 2023
Government Cybersecurity Preparedness
Features

A Tale of Two US Audits: Why Does Government Cybersecurity Preparedness Fail Miserably?

by Chandu Gopalakrishnan
June 8, 2023
Longhorn Cyber Attack
Firewall Daily

Longhorn Cyber Attack Puts Data of 28000 Patients at Risk

by Ashish Khaitan
June 7, 2023
Thai Meteorological Department Cyber Attack
Firewall Daily

Thai Meteorological Department Cyber Attack, LockBit Sets Deadline

by Vishwa Pandagle
June 7, 2023
Next Post
TF-AMD Microelectronics

LockBit 3.0 Lists TF-AMD Microelectronics as Victim

Latest Issue is Out. Subscribe Now

Cyber express

CRIL


Follow Us On Google News

Never miss an update. Subscribe!

* indicates required

mailchimp

Latest Cyber News

Government Cybersecurity Preparedness
Features

A Tale of Two US Audits: Why Does Government Cybersecurity Preparedness Fail Miserably?

June 8, 2023
Longhorn Cyber Attack
Firewall Daily

Longhorn Cyber Attack Puts Data of 28000 Patients at Risk

June 7, 2023
Thai Meteorological Department Cyber Attack
Firewall Daily

Thai Meteorological Department Cyber Attack, LockBit Sets Deadline

June 7, 2023
Lockbit Ransomware
Dark Web News

Cross City Tunnel and 23 New Victims: Lockbit Ransomware Gang Goes on a Hacking Spree

June 7, 2023

Categories

Web Stories

Top 10 CISOs to Follow in 2023
Top 10 CISOs to Follow in 2023
Top 10 Ransomware Gangs in 2023
Top 10 Ransomware Gangs in 2023
Top 5 IoT Security Risks in 2023
Top 5 IoT Security Risks in 2023
Top 10 CTF Platforms in 2023
Top 10 CTF Platforms in 2023
Types of Risks Covered by Cyber Insurance
Types of Risks Covered by Cyber Insurance

About

The Cyber Express by Cyble

#1 Trending Cyber Security News and Magazine

The Cyber Express  by Cyble is a handbook for all stakeholders of the internet that provides information security professionals with the latest news, updates and knowledge they need to combat cyber threats.

 

Contact

For editorial queries: [email protected]

For marketing and Sales: [email protected]

For Events & Conferences related information: [email protected]

 

Quick Links

  • About Us
  • Advertise With Us
  • Contact Us
  • Editorial Calendar

Our Address

We’re remote friendly, with office locations around the world:

San Francisco, Atlanta, Rome,
Dubai, Mumbai, Bangalore, Hyderabad,  Singapore, Jakarta, Sydney, and Melbourne

 

Headquarters:

The Cyber Express LLC
555 North Point Center E
Alpharetta, GA 30022, USA.

 

India Office:

Cyber Express Media Network
HD-021, 4th Floor, C Wing, Building No.4. Nesco IT Park, WE Highway, Goregaon East, Mumbai, Maharashtra, India – 4000063

Subscribe to Our Feed

RSS Feeds

Follow Us On Google News
  • Privacy Statement
  • Terms of Use
  • Write For Us

© 2022 The Cyber Express (Cyber Security News and Magazine) | By Cyble Inc.

No Result
View All Result
  • Magazine
  • Firewall Daily
  • Essentials
    • Regulations
    • Compliance
    • Governance
    • Policy Updates
  • Features
    • Cyber Warfare
    • Espionage
    • Workforce
      • Learning & Development
  • Business
    • Startups
    • Mergers & Aquisitions
    • Partnerships
    • Appointments
    • Budgets
    • Research
      • Whitepapers
      • Sponsored Content
      • Market Reports
    • Interviews
      • Podcast
  • Events
    • World CyberCon Middle East 2023
    •  Cyber Security Webinar
    • Endorsed Events
  • Products
    • Cyble Vision
    • Cyble Hawk (LEA, Govt.)
    • Am I Breached
    • Cyble Odin (Beta)

© 2022 The Cyber Express (Cyber Security News and Magazine) | By Cyble Inc.

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In

Add New Playlist

This website uses cookies. By continuing to use this website you are giving consent to cookies being used. Visit our Privacy and Cookie Policy.
Top 10 CISOs to Follow in 2023 Top 10 Ransomware Gangs in 2023 Top 5 IoT Security Risks in 2023 Top 10 CTF Platforms in 2023 Types of Risks Covered by Cyber Insurance