Ransomware has quickly become one of the most dangerous cyberthreats facing organizations around the world. These malicious programs encrypt files on infected systems and demand ransom payments in cryptocurrency from victims in exchange for the keys that can decrypt the data. Failure to pay may result in permanent data loss or leakage of sensitive files.
There are currently hundreds of different ransomware variants in existence. However, a handful of sophisticated ransomware families are responsible for most of the rampant attacks we see today. Understanding who these key players are can help organizations better defend themselves against ransomware campaigns.
Based on threat intelligence from cybersecurity vendors, the three most active and impactful ransomware groups operating today are:
Conti
Conti first appeared in 2020 and rose to prominence the following year, when it targeted over 1,000 companies and other organizations globally. The operators behind Conti are aggressive; they demand exorbitant ransoms up to $25 million and frequently threaten to leak data stolen during the attack if payment isn’t received.
Some of Conti’s high-profile victims include the Scottish Environment Protection Agency, Broward County Public Schools in Florida, and New Zealand’s Waikato District Health Board. Conti extracted a ransom as high as $25 million from the Waikato DHB, highlighting its outrageous demands. The group also made off with a staggering $20 million from Broward County Public Schools.
In May 2022, Conti suffered a major breach when a disgruntled insider leaked its internal chats and tools. This revealed Conti’s loose organizational structure, with various teams conducting different phases of each attack. The leak also exposed Conti’s ties to Russia.
Tactics
Conti begins its attacks by compromising public-facing servers and systems through exploits or stolen VPN credentials. It moves laterally across networks, escalates privileges, and uses tools like Cobalt Strike and Mimikatz to extract credentials to access domains and essential data.
The ransomware payload is deployed across hundreds or thousands of endpoints. Conti not only encrypts files but also exfiltrates data to increase extortion leverage. It communicates with victims via Conti’s custom ransomware portal.
Prevention
As Conti exploits security gaps to infiltrate networks, organizations should identify and patch vulnerable systems, enforce principle of least privilege, and mandate strong passwords or multifactor authentication. Segmenting networks and proactively hunting for threats can also disrupt Conti attacks.
LockBit
Active since 2019, LockBit rebranded itself in 2021 and operates ransomware-as-a-service (RaaS). Affiliates are recruited to hack companies, while LockBit developers provide the malware and negotiate ransom payments.
LockBit hit at least 150 organizations last year. Victims include Accenture, Fat Face, and Everlaw. Its innovative ransomware portal lists victims on a public “shame” page and has options for affiliates to request faster ransomware builds and higher payout percentages.
Demanding ransoms from $10,000 to $50 million in Bitcoin, LockBit keeps 20% of payments. In 2022, cybersecurity firm Palo Alto Networks reported LockBit had extracted over $100 million in total ransom payments since its inception.
Tactics
Like Conti, LockBit starts by breaching external remote access services through stolen credentials or vulnerabilities. It enumerates internal systems, performs lateral movement, and uses Mimikatz, Cobalt Strike, and other dual-use penetration testing tools.
LockBit often lingers in networks for weeks or months before deploying ransomware across all accessible endpoints simultaneously. The malware encrypts files with AES and Scrambles file names. A ransom note directs victims to LockBit’s ransomware portal.
Prevention
As a human-operated threat, LockBit’s activities can be detected with continuous network monitoring and threat hunting. Rapidly patching vulnerabilities in internet-facing systems can prevent initial access. Smarter password hygiene and least privilege controls also reduce exposure to lateral movement.
Hive
Active since June 2021, Hive ransomware exploded onto the scene in 2022 with high-impact attacks against MediaMarkt, Memorial Health System, and other major enterprises. Hive operators claim to have infected over 1,300 victims globally and extracted $100 million in ransom payments as of August 2022.
Like LockBit, Hive functions as a RaaS. It recruits and trains affiliates to breach corporate networks through phishing, purchased malware exploits, or vulnerable services like RDP and VPNs. Hive gives affiliates a cut of any ransom payments.
Tactics
Hive affiliates use credential theft tools like Mimikatz or steal passwords and tokens cached in browsers. They also abuse legitimate administration tools like PsExec to access endpoints across domains.
Once embedded, Hive deploys ransomware to all accessible systems. The malware utilizes robust encryption algorithms to lock files, scramble filenames, and append the .hive extension. Victims are redirected to Hive’s ransomware portal.
Prevention
Hive heavily leverages phishing and stolen credentials, so better user education, password hygiene, and multifactor authentication could reduce risk of compromise. Limiting lateral movement and locking down internet-facing systems can also disrupt attacks.
Conclusion
Conti, LockBit, and Hive exemplify the profit-driven business model of modern ransomware. Instead of mere data destruction, the goal is now extortion through high-stakes encryption and exfiltration attacks.
All three groups infiltrate networks through security misconfigurations, credential theft, and other common attack vectors. Once inside, they use similar techniques to traverse networks and deploy ransomware across domains.
By improving security hygiene, monitoring for lateral movement, and implementing IT security fundamentals, organizations can gain ground against these prominent ransomware groups.
| Group | Origin | Structure | Notable Attacks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conti | Russia | Organized teams for different attack phases | Scottish Environment Protection Agency Broward County Public Schools Waikato District Health Board |
| LockBit | Unknown | Ransomware-as-a-Service Recruits affiliates to breach victims |
Accenture Fat Face Everlaw |
| Hive | Unknown | Ransomware-as-a-Service Trains affiliates to hack networks |
MediaMarkt Memorial Health System |
Ransomware groups like Conti, LockBit, and Hive pose a severe threat to organizations globally. All leverage common tactics like phishing and vulnerability exploitation to infiltrate networks, then deploy ransomware across hundreds or thousands of endpoints.
By training employees, minimizing vulnerabilities, enforcing principle of least privilege, and proactively threat hunting, companies can detect and mitigate attacks by these prominent actors. Ransomware resilience requires constant vigilance and regular evaluation of security controls and protocols.
Implementing core cybersecurity fundamentals provides protection against not just the most active ransomware groups today, but also emerging threats in the future. With ransomware attacks surging, taking steps to enhance security and preparedness should be a priority for all organizations, regardless of size or industry.
Ransomware groups like Conti, LockBit, and Hive exemplify the modern ransomware landscape. Instead of mere data destruction, their goal is high-stakes extortion through encryption, exfiltration, and public shaming of victims. These schemes result in ransom demands ranging from thousands to millions of dollars.
All three actors gain initial access through common vectors like phishing, security misconfigurations, and vulnerability exploitation. Once inside the network, they use dual-use pen testing tools and native OS commands to traverse the environment, escalate privileges, and deploy ransomware across all accessible endpoints.
Conti, LockBit, and Hive also use ransomware portals to communicate with and extort victims. These customized portals add pressure with ransom countdown clocks, data leak threats, and other psychological tactics.
With human-led intrusions, signs of compromise by these groups can be detected earlier through vigilant monitoring and threat hunting. Rapid patching, multifactor authentication, network segmentation, and least privilege controls can also thwart attacks.
But no single solution will stop these prolific ransomware operations. Success requires a proactive security approach, ongoing risk assessments, and resilience efforts across infrastructure, policies, and staff training.
By dedicating appropriate resources to these areas and implementing fundamental best practices, organizations can bolster their security postures against Conti, LockBit, Hive, and other sophisticated ransomware groups that will inevitably arise in the future.
Ransomware poses an asymmetric threat with outsized impact relative to the resources and skills required by attackers. For this reason, ransomware campaigns will likely persist and even grow without dramatic improvements in cyber defenses across all organizations.
However, the security community now better understands the motivations, tools, and infrastructure behind leading ransomware groups. These insights enable more effective protection, provided that organizations make appropriate investments.
Technical controls are not enough by themselves, as most incidents involve social engineering, stolen credentials, or avoidance of detection. Companies must implement comprehensive security awareness training to recognize and resist ransomware techniques.
Effective endpoint detection and response platforms are also essential to identify intrusions and behaviors of concern. With prompt alerts, security teams can contain and eradicate threats before they escalate to ransomware deployment.
Furthermore, maintaining updated backups that are disconnected from production systems remains the most reliable means of minimizing business disruption. Even if ransomware encrypts the entire primary network, backups facilitate system restoration.
While challenges persist, organizations now possess deeper knowledge of ransomware groups, along with proven security frameworks and technologies to reduce risk. Greater adoption of cyber best practices, along with increased collaboration and resilience, will help counter sophisticated ransomware threats in the years ahead.
Ransomware continues to pose severe risks to organizations globally following years of high-impact attacks. Prominent ransomware groups like Conti, Hive, and LockBit infiltrate enterprise networks through common vectors then deploy ransomware across domains.
Defending against these sophisticated actors with human-operated attacks requires a multi-layered approach:
- Security awareness training to prevent phishing and stolen credentials
- Vulnerability management to patch bugs in internet-facing systems
- Network segmentation and least privilege to contain lateral movement
- EDR platforms for behavioral threat detection
- Backups air-gapped from production to enable restores
- Incident response playbooks to contain and eradicate threats
Ransomware resilience further requires assessing organizational readiness, identifying security gaps, and dedicating appropriate resources to close vulnerabilities.
With persistent effort across training, technology, and processes, enterprises can gain ground against ransomware. But reliably stopping these attacks remains a challenge given evolving adversary tactics.
Organizations should also develop continuity plans that assume compromise will occur despite best efforts. Response and recovery capabilities are critical for minimizing business disruption.
By combining foundational infosec best practices with response readiness and resilience planning, companies can empower employees, reduce risks, and withstand the growing threat of ransomware.
Ransomware attacks continue to threaten enterprises, government agencies, hospitals, schools and other organizations globally. Three prominent ransomware groups driving a large portion of attacks are Conti, LockBit, and Hive.
These groups exemplify the ransomware-as-a-service model, where developers create the malware and infrastructure while affiliates conduct intrusions and ransomware deployment. They extract ransoms reaching millions of dollars from victims by encrypting data and threatening leak extortion.
Conti, LockBit, and Hive typically gain access by exploiting common security gaps like weak passwords, unpatched software, and misconfigurations. Once inside the network, they use legitimate tools to traverse environments and escalate privileges.
The most effective ransomware protections involve security fundamentals such as patching, backups, training, least privilege, segmentation, and threat monitoring. But resilience also requires planning for disruptions through continuity and response planning.
With constantly evolving tactics, ransomware groups will likely continue finding ways to breach enterprise defenses. Organizations should actively identify security gaps, adopt controls to mitigate risk, and prepare for potential incidents.
Combating advanced ransomware threats like Conti, LockBit and Hive remains an urgent priority. By employing cybersecurity best practices and resilience efforts, enterprises can empower employees, reduce risks, and withstand inevitable attacks.
Ransomware poses one of the most significant cyber threats to modern organizations through data encryption, extortion, and disruption of operations. Three prominent ransomware groups at the forefront of these attacks are Conti, LockBit, and Hive.
These sophisticated actors infiltrate corporate networks by exploiting common gaps like phishing, unpatched software, misconfigurations, and stolen credentials. They then traverse environments with dual-use tools to deploy ransomware across endpoints and servers.
The most effective protections against these ransomware operations involve cybersecurity fundamentals such as:
- Patch management to eliminate software vulnerabilities
- Security awareness training to prevent phishing and social engineering
- Multifactor authentication to hinder stolen credential reuse
- Network segmentation and least privilege to contain lateral movement
- EDR monitoring to detect intrusions and suspicious behaviors
- Backups air-gapped from production to facilitate restores
However, resilience requires planning for inevitable disruptions through continuity and response programs. With evolving tactics, ransomware will likely find ways to breach even robust defenses.
By combining security best practices with resilience efforts, organizations can empower employees, reduce risks, and withstand attacks by prominent ransomware groups like Conti, LockBit and Hive.
Ransomware remains a severe threat to organizations through mass data encryption, extortion demands, and disruption of operations. Three prominent ransomware groups driving many attacks are Conti, LockBit, and Hive.
These sophisticated actors gain access to enterprise networks by exploiting common vulnerabilities like phishing, weak passwords, unpatched software, and misconfigured systems. They use dual-use tools to traverse environments, escalate privileges, and deploy ransomware across endpoints.
Robust protections against ransomware require a layered approach including:
- Patch management to eliminate software vulnerabilities
- Security awareness training to prevent phishing attacks
- Multifactor authentication to mitigate password risks
- Network segmentation and least privilege to restrict lateral movement
- EDR monitoring to detect intrusions and suspicious activity
- Backups air-gapped from production to enable restores
Organizations should also implement continuity planning and incident response programs to minimize disruptions from inevitable attacks. By combining security best practices with resilience efforts, enterprises can empower employees, reduce risks, and withstand prominent ransomware groups.