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Summary
In July of 2021, a new ransomware named BlackMatter emerged and was being advertised in web forums where the group was searching for compromised networks from companies with revenues of $100 million or more per year. Although they are not advertising as a Ransomware-as-a-Service (RaaS), the fact they are looking for “partners” is an indication that they are operating in this model. Furthermore, the group is claiming to have combined features from larger groups, such as DarkSide and REvil (a.k.a. Sodinokibi).
According to an interview with an alleged representative from BlackMatter, they have incorporated the ideas of LockBit, REvil, and DarkSide, after studying their ransomware in detail. Also, the BlackMatter representative believes that other ransomware groups have disappeared from the scene due to attention from governments following high-profile attacks. BlackMatter plans to avoid such attention by being careful not to infect any critical infrastructure. This is echoed on their website, which states they are not willing to attack hospitals, critical infrastructures, defense industry, and non-profit companies.
The oil and gas industry is also excluded from the target list, a reference to the Colonial Pipeline attack where DarkSide stopped the fuel delivery across the Southeastern of the United States, followed by the shut down of the ransomware operation due to the pressure from law enforcement. The BlackMatter spokesperson also said that the Colonial PIpeline attack was a key factor for the shutdown of REvil and DarkSide, and that’s why they are excluding this kind of sector from the target list.
BlackMatter already claims to have hit three victims, each listed on their deep web site, which follows the same standard from other groups, containing the name of the attacked company, a summary of what data they have stolen, and the deadline for the ransom before the data is published.
