Graham Cluley reports:
Imagine for one moment that you are a cybercriminal.
You have compromised an organisation’s network, you have stolen their data, you have encrypted their network, and you are now knee-deep in the ransomware negotiation.
However, there’s a problem. Your target is stalling for time. Who can you, as the perpetrator of the crime rather than the innocent victim, turn to for advice?
Well, if you are an affiliate of the Qilin ransomware group, you can simply hit the “Call Lawyer” button.
Because, as researchers at Cybereason have revealed, Qilin has introduced a number of new features for its partners-in-crime.
And these include a legal assistance option.
In a posting on a Russian darknet forum, Qilin is described as having added legal support services to its portfolio in an apparent effort to woo affiliates and project a veneer of professionalism.
Read more at TripWire.
DataBreaches shares Cluley’s skepticism. While Qilin’s description may attract more affiliates (their almost certain goal of offering and advertising this “feature,”), is there any evidence that any victim has ever really been intimidated by this or that it has led to more successful negotiations for the threat actors? DataBreaches would love to read some verifiable chat logs that show such interactions.