LockBit Reigns Supreme in Soaring Ransomware Landscape
The last quarter of 2023 saw an 80% year-on-year increase in ransomware victim claims, according to ReliaQuest
LockBit is a ransomware operation covered through reported incidents, technical analysis, disruption efforts, and guidance to defend systems and data.
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Background for this topic.
LockBit is a ransomware family and associated cybercrime operation—not an unrelated product or project—that has been reported in attacks where malware encrypts files on compromised systems and disrupts access. Coverage under this tag includes technical analysis of LockBit variants, reported incidents, infrastructure or law-enforcement disruption, and claims about stolen data or extortion; individual reports may differ in what is verified.
For defenders, the material risks are rapid encryption across reachable systems and possible exposure of data taken before encryption. Priorities include promptly addressing internet-facing vulnerabilities and exposed credentials, restricting lateral movement with segmentation and least privilege, and maintaining tested offline or otherwise isolated backups. Monitor for suspicious administrative activity and mass file changes, preserve logs and affected systems for investigation, and use threat intelligence on LockBit indicators to support containment. A suspected incident requires coordinated isolation, recovery, and assessment of privacy or regulatory obligations rather than assuming that paying restores systems or prevents disclosure.
The last quarter of 2023 saw an 80% year-on-year increase in ransomware victim claims, according to ReliaQuest
Also: Cloudflare Was Hacked With Stolen Okta TokenThis week, former CIA programmer gets 40-year sentence, zero trust prevents widespread damage, possible ransomware attack in Georgia, alleged hacker detained in Ukraine, USB-spread malware in Italy, LockBit attack on non-bank home mortgage lender, and Ukrainian critical infrastructure disrupted.
It even had the gall to set the ransom demand at $800K … for a nonprofit Ransomware gang LockBit is claiming responsibility for an attack on a Chicago children's hospital in an apparent deviation from its previous policy of not targeting nonprofits.…