WASHINGTON, June 14 (Reuters) – The United States and
six other countries on Wednesday identified the digital
extortion gang operating under the “Lockbit” banner as the
world’s top ransomware threat.
In a joint advisory, U.S., Canadian, British, French,
German, Australian and New Zealand cyber authorities said
Lockbit’s extortion software, used to scramble victims’ data
until a ransom is paid, was the most broadly used by
cybercriminals.
“In 2022, LockBit was the most deployed ransomware variant
across the world and continues to be prolific in 2023,” the
advisory said, adding that the gang and its affiliates “have
negatively impacted organizations, both large and small, across
the world.”
Ransomware has been an online threat for years and the
business around it has become increasingly sophisticated.
Lockbit is one of several groups that uses an affiliate model,
effectively letting other cybercriminals use its code and
infrastructure in return for a cut of the profits.
The advisory only cited hard figures from three countries,
with 1,700, Lockbit-related incidents reported or confirmed in
the United States, 69 in France and 15 in New Zealand. But
Lockbit accounts for a big chunk of the ransomware incidents
tracked by all seven governments, according to advisory, which
said the agencies involved attributed somewhere between 11% to
23% of all recent ransom-seeking hacks to the group.
German, Canadian and Australian officials did not
immediately return messages seeking further details and figures.
British authorities declined to comment.
It makes sense to describe Lockbit as a top ransomware
actor, said Brett Callow, an analyst with cybersecurity company
Emsisoft. He said the figures cited in the advisory were “likely
significantly understated.”
Callow added that the global cooperation that went into the
advisory was an encouraging sign.
“I don’t recall so many agencies collaborating on an
advisory before,” he said. “It’s great to see.”
(Reporting by Raphael Satter; additonal reporting by James
Pearson in London; Editing by David Gregorio)
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