Technical Details Overview First seen in July 2021, BlackMatter is ransomware-as-a-service (Raas) tool that allows the ransomware’s developers to profit from cybercriminal affiliates (i.e., BlackMatter actors) who deploy it against victims. BlackMatter is a possible rebrand of DarkSide, a RaaS which was active from September 2020 through May 2021. BlackMatter actors have attacked numerous U.S.-based…
Author: Dissent
Student and personnel files from Manhasset Union Free School District appear on the dark web (UPDATED)
On October 7, the Manhasset Union Free School District revealed that it may have been the victim of a ransomware attack. There can no longer be any doubt that they were attacked. Over the weekend, Vice Society threat actors dumped the district’s data on their dark web leak site. Inspection of some of the files…
DOJ Announces New Cyber-Fraud Initiative Promoting False Claims Act Enforcement Against Contractors and Grantees Failing to Follow Cybersecurity Standards
Anthony Mirenda, Stephen Garvey, and Natalie Panariello of Foley Hoag write: As we anticipated last spring, the Department of Justice (DOJ) has signaled that it will utilize civil enforcement of the False Claims Act (FCA) to address new and emerging cybersecurity threats. On October 6, 2021, Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco announced the launch of a new…
Popular student monitoring software could have exposed thousands to hacks
Mark Keierleber reports: A monitoring company that thousands of schools used during remote and hybrid learning to ensure students were on task may have inadvertently exposed millions of kids to hackers online, according to a September report by the security software company McAfee. The research, conducted by the McAfee Enterprise Advanced Threat Research team, discovered the…
Sinclair TV network crippled by potential ransomware attack
Sergiu Gatlan reports: TV stations owned by the Sinclair Broadcast Group broadcast television company went down over the weekend across the US, with multiple sources telling BleepingComputer a ransomware attack caused the downtime. Sinclair Broadcast Group is a Fortune 500 media company (with annual revenues of $5.9 billion in 2020) and a leading local sports and…
REvil ransomware shuts down again after Tor sites were hijacked
Lawrence Abrams reports: The REvil ransomware operation has likely shut down once again after an unknown person hijacked their Tor payment portal and data leak blog. The Tor sites went offline earlier today, with a threat actor affiliated with the REvil operation posting to the XSS hacking forum that someone hijacked the gang’s domains. Read…