Extortionists threaten to destroy sites in fake ransom attacks

guest · Jun 14, 2020

Extortionists threaten to destroy sites in fake ransom attacks
June 14, 2020
https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/ne...aten-to-destroy-sites-in-fake-ransom-attacks/

Scammers are targeting website owners with blackmail messages asking them to pay ransoms between $1,500 and $3,000 in bitcoins to avoid having their sites' databases leaked and their reputation destroyed.

As the fraudsters falsely claim, they exfiltrate the databases to attacker-controlled servers using credentials harvested after exploiting a vulnerability found within the sites' software.
Data leak and blackhat SEO used as threats
Unless the ransom is paid, they threaten to leak or sell the "stolen" databases, as well as email the site owners' associates and customers to destroy the sites' reputations.

Last but not least, the scammers also try to further scare their targets into paying out the $2,000 by threatening to de-index the sites from search engines using "blackhat" SEO techniques.
The potential victims are asked by the fraudsters to pay the ransom within 5 days after receiving the ransomware notifications to avoid having their websites destroyed.
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Do not pay the ransom, it's just a scam
So far, researchers at web app security outfit WebARX who first reported this scam found multiple Bitcoin wallets being used to collect the ransom payments — victims also came out with reports on Blogger's help site, on the WordPress support forum, and on StackOverflow.
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guest · Jun 16, 2020

Data Breach Extortion Campaign Relies on Ransomware Fear
Scammers Look to Trick Victims Into Paying Without an Actual Breach
June 16, 2020
https://www.inforisktoday.com/data-breach-extortion-campaign-relies-on-ransomware-fear-a-14445

Scammers are looking to capitalize on the extortion campaigns being conducted by the Maze ransomware gang and others by demanding thousands of dollars in ransom to not release data they claim to have exfiltrated from their target when in fact no attack took place and no data was removed, according to security firm WebARX.

James McQuiggan, security awareness advocate with security firm KnowBe4, offers advice on dealing with scammers who have not actually exfiltrated data.

"From a technology standpoint, the IT department can review and determine if their statements are accurate," he tells Information Security Media Group. "With this type of scam, it will be prudent to verify their claim and search for any unauthorized attempts, verify user accounts and make sure there are not any external exploitable threats against your website."
McQuiggan recommends teaching employees how to recognize social engineering schemes.
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Mollie MacDougall, head of security firm Cofense Intelligence, offers a similar perspective.

"We have seen ransomware campaigns where data exfiltration was claimed and the ransomware deployed included no exfiltration mechanism whatsoever," she says. "If a criminal is alleging to have your sensitive data, you should first identify evidence that they have your data, or that exfiltration from your network has occurred."
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