Earlier this week the FBI issued an alert warning about activities related to the Black Cat ransomware group. The group, which also goes by the names AlphaV or Noberus, is confirmed to have compromised at least 60 organizations across the world between November 2021 and March 2022. What makes the group unique is the way the attacks are coded: Black Cat is the first group to successfully attack this many targets using Rust, the programming language widely believed to be more secure than others.
Adam Flatley, Director of Threat Intelligence, Redacted weighed in on this latest threat alert:
“While it’s interesting that their software is coded in Rust, it’s a mistake to make a big deal out of that fact. Devastating and effective ransomware exists for multiple code bases, and it’s often just the coder’s personal preference or what they have the most experience with. The real lesson to take about the Black Cat group is that they have not been deterred whatsoever in spite of increased international pressure. To me, this clearly demonstrates that more needs to be done to dismantle ransomware groups that operate from countries that refuse to cooperate with law enforcement. The only way to do that effectively is for the private industry and governments around the world to work together in an intelligence-driven, focused campaign that brings all of their combined capabilities to the table.”
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