Ransomware gang failed to deploy an attack against 30 US firms

A ransomware attack was blocked by a group by the Cybersecurity firm Symantec known for demanding payment in Bitcoin (BTC) focused at 30 U.S.-based firms and Fortune 500 companies.

Evil Group almost deployed a ransomware attack but it was successfully blocked after an early warning by Symantec https://t.co/njHM7rHAok

— Cointelegraph (@Cointelegraph) June 28, 2020

The cybersecurity firm states that the malware gang, Evil Group, that was behind the attacks, targeted the IT frameworks of the companies. Still, the firms were notified in time to block the deployment of the ransomware. The ransomware WastedLocker was selected to breach the security of the victims’ networks and unsuccessfully tried to lay the ground for conducting the attacks.

The Evil Group gang is reputed for requesting its victims to pay million-dollar ransom payments in digital currencies. It is reported that the group had been asking for a combined total of $10 from a number of U.S. companies that were recently attacked.

Symantec’s Targeted Attack Cloud Analytics team identified the WastedLocker attacks in the early stages via advanced machine learning to spot patterns of activity linked to recent targeted attacks. 31 companies were attacked in the attack, out of which one of the firms is a U.S.-based subsidiary of an overseas multinational.

The cybersecurity firm’s report stated that the manufacturing sector was most influenced, as the gang focused on five organizations relevant to that industry.

According to Symantec, if the attackers not been caught, “successful attacks could have led to millions in damages, downtime, and a possible domino effect on supply chains.”

Evil Group had stopped its operations until January 2020 because of the indictment of professed members, Igor Olegovich Turashev and Maksim Viktorovich Yakubets.