FBI Is Looking For BlackCat

US law enforcement agencies have been busy targeting malicious cyber actors around the world and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has sent out a Flash alert asking for information about the threat actor BlackCat also known as Alphv, which has breached at least 60 organisations. 

The flash alert is part of a series of similar reports highlighting the tactics, techniques, and procedures (TTPs) used by and indicators of compromise (IOCs) linked to ransomware variants identified during FBI investigations.

BlackCat has been previously linked to other ransomware groups that have stopped working. The information the FBI wants includes IP addresses, Bitcoin or Monero addresses and transaction IDs, communications, decryptor files, and a sample of an encrypted file.  

Black Cat was apparently used in a German January 2022 campaign that was conducted against two international oil companies. In the advisory, the FBI also warns that the group has compromised roughly 60 entities worldwide.
The ransomware gains access to the victim's system by putting previously compromised user credentials to work. The malware then compromises Active Directory user and administrator accounts, leveraging Windows administrative tools and Microsoft Sysinternals tools. 

According to the FBI’s investigation, BlackCat is the first ransomware group that has successfully used the programming language RUST to commission its attacks. 

The cyber crime group then steals data from the victim before deploying ransomware and demanding that companies pay-up to decrypt their files. According to the FBI, the group’s initial ransom requests are often shocking, but the group has been observed accepting a smaller payment than they formerly demanded.
In their Flash alert the FBI has listed suggested mitigations and actions.

The FBI doesn't encourage paying BlackCat ransoms since victims have no guarantee that this will prevent future attacks or leaks of stolen data.However, the federal agency did acknowledge the damage inflicted by ransomware attacks, which may force company executives to pay the ransom and protect shareholders, customers, or employees.

The affiliated threat actors usually request ransom payments of millions of dollars in cryptocurrency, but often end up accepting payments of much less than the initial demand. Many of the threat actors have been linked to the Darkside and Blackmatter groups, indicating extensive experience when it comes to ransomware operations.

Alphv has been tracked to attacks on two major German oil companies, and Florida International University, though the victims of ransomware are typically in the discretion of the affiliate groups that do the hacking rather than a group like Alphv that programs the malware and licenses its use. 

In the Flash alert, the FBI listed recommended mitigations, including using multi-factor authentication and installing updates/patch operating systems, software and firmware as soon as they are released. 

FBI:      Forbes:     Infosecurity Magazine:     Oodaloop:   Secureworld:     Bleeping Computer:   Unified Guru: 

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