In what is quickly emerging as a worrying trend, another ransomware gang is now using distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks to take their victims' websites offline. Ransomware operators are reportedly teaming up to launch repeated DDoS attacks against a victim's website to force them to the negotiating table. The reports quote Brett Callow, a threat analyst at Emsisoft, who is unsurprised by the new modus operandi: “DDoS is cheap, easy, and in some cases can help convince some companies that quick pay is best. option. Less painful. The more pressure criminals put on companies, the better their chances of getting paid. "
double extortion
Ransomware operations that target corporate networks often also steal the victim's unencrypted files. The initial tactic was to reveal the unencrypted files if the ransom was not paid. During one such attack last year, BleepingComputer reported that a SunCrypt ransomware affiliate launched a DDoS attack against her victim to force her back to the negotiating table. Avaddon ransomware is the latest to join the ranks and is said to have DDoSed the website of one of its victims after stealing around 44GB of personal and financial documents. The operators of Maze ransomware were the first to get several different threat actors to join forces and trade tactics for more powerful attacks against their targets. It is not yet clear if Avaddon has joined the Maze syndicate or if he has decided to lead a new operation. Via: BleepingComputer