2024-04-28 23:30:00
Trend Micro, the global leader in network security, has released comprehensive threat intelligence on LockBit after law enforcement discovered the LockBit ransomware group. This unprecedented police operation “Operation Cronos” represents a major step forward in the global fight against cyber threats. This group alone is estimated to be responsible for around a quarter of the world’s ransomware attacks.
Please click the link below to read this research report “Spillout Unveiling: The Impact of Operation Cronos on LockBit Following Historic Disruption” (Spillout Unveiling: The Impact of Operation Cronos on LockBit following a historic disruption): https://research. com/LockBitDisruptionAftermath
Robert McArdle, Director of Forward Threat Research at Trend Micro, said: “We strongly support the excellent actions of international law enforcement agencies in cracking down on the LockBit group, and will continue to provide analytical support for future releases. planned by the group. Being one step ahead of hackers not only allows them to By providing intelligence to law enforcement, we can strengthen our customers’ defense capabilities around the world. Like the follow-up analysis of this attack, our commitment to improving security defenses globally. threat intelligence has achieved tangible results.
Operation Cronos differs in many ways from the way traditional law enforcement disrupts criminal organizations. Because this operation is not only a temporary crackdown against criminal groups, but a decisive blow to paralyze their infrastructure, weaken their profit mechanism, denounce their franchise partners and make them lose their reputation on their own territory.
This long-running operation made LockBit famous among the criminal networks it operates and within the broader cybercriminal community, making its comeback difficult. The leader of the group, “Lockbitsupp”, was also blocked by two popular underground forums, XSS and Exploit.
The group attempted to rebuild a new website about data leaks on Onion Network, which was immediately launched a week after the crackdown. At the same time, Lockbitsupp is also actively looking for intermediary groups to help them sell .gov, .edu. and .org top-level domains (TLDs), apparently in retaliation for Operation Cronos.
However, these efforts seem to be in vain. According to Trend Micro monitoring data, since the group was hacked, the number of successful hacking attacks has become quite limited.
Although dozens of victims have been posted to the new LockBit leak site, the vast majority are simply re-uploads of their previous exploits, or are victims of other criminal groups such as ALPHV. In addition, the group has also developed a new version of the “Lockbit-NG-Dev” ransomware; Trend Micro is closely monitoring this part and offering customers advanced protection.
Main achievements of Operation Cronos:
- Damage to LockBit’s reputation: With its reputation damaged, LockBit will face significant challenges in rebuilding its operations and franchise network.
- Strategically Cutting Infrastructure: This operation delves deep into the tiger’s den, making the process of LockBit rebuilding and reuniting its team arduous and time-consuming, delaying any chance of return.
- Achieve Effective Deterrence: A thorough understanding of the activities of the group’s franchise partners and the issuance of follow-up warnings caused LockBit’s franchise project to be abandoned, further weakening its operational capacity.
- Improved Enterprise Security: Trend Micro customers also benefited from the gains from this operation, reducing the risk of being attacked by the leading ransomware market.
This bankruptcy demonstrates Trend Micro’s continued efforts to track predictable threats and protect against the risks posed to businesses by the evolving security landscape. Furthermore, the most effective way to combat a common enemy is to quickly and effectively share intelligence.
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