The Clop Ransomware group, which is known for its big-game hunting and double-extortion tactics, recently announced the successful hack of the prestigious American daily newspaper, The Washington Post. The cybercrime group immediately created a dedicated page for the newspaper on its Tor data leak site, where it declared its intention to leak the stolen data soon. This breach was claimed by the group in mid-October.
The group justified its attack by claiming that the company was breached due to a neglect of fundamental security practices, suggesting a failure in its responsibility to adequately protect its customers and operational data. The statement posted by Clop was highly critical of the newspaper’s approach to cybersecurity, specifically stating, “The company doesn’t care about its customers, it ignored their security!!!”
Clop, also known as Cl0p, is recognized as a prolific Russian-speaking ransomware-as-a-service (RaaS) operation. The group specializes in highly targeted attacks against major organizations and utilizes a double-extortion model, which involves both encrypting the victim’s network and stealing sensitive data. This approach maximizes leverage to pressure victims into paying a ransom.
The Clop ransomware group first emerged within the threat landscape around February 2019. It originated from the TA505 cybercrime group, which is a financially motivated collective that has been actively conducting operations since at least 2014. Consistent with several other Russia-based threat actors, the Clop group avoids targeting entities within former Soviet countries, and its proprietary malware is specifically designed to not activate on computer systems where the primary operating language is Russian.
The group’s operational model involves operators and affiliates identifying high-value targets. Once a breach is achieved, they steal sensitive data, proceed to encrypt the networks, and subsequently publish a portion of the stolen files on dedicated data-leak sites. Clop is known to leverage sophisticated methods, including the exploitation of zero-days and vulnerable third-party software (such as MOVEit, GoAnywhere, and Oracle EBS). They utilize initial-access brokers, automation for efficiency, and advanced evasion and lateral-movement techniques to achieve the greatest possible impact and financial return.
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