Trijo News has repeatedly reported on so-called ransomware attacks, where hackers steal sensitive data and then demand a ransom, often in the cryptocurrencies monero or bitcoin, with threats of reselling it or leaking it for free.
Leaking data via its former competitor
Now it seems that some ransomware gangs have begun to collaborate in a mafia-like structure, Cointelegraph reports.
The reason for this is a post on the ransomware gang Maze’s darknet site.
In this post, Maze leaks information from various companies, some of them based in the United States. What is special about the post is that the ransomware gang writes that the data they are leaking comes from another group: Ragnar Locker.
Additionally, Ragnar Locker’s own site on the darknet has gone offline. According to Brett Callow, threat analyst at security company Emsisoft, this could very well mean that Ragnar Locker will conduct all their future leaks via Maze.
According to another security company, Kela, the ransomware gang Lockbit also recently leaked data via Maze.
Expert: More people may join
Brett Callow believes that it is not unbelievable that more gangs will start collaborating with Maze.
“It’s likely that other groups will join the cartel if they believe it is in their financial interests to do so”, he tells Cointelegraph.
