- Hunters International has struck many private and public entities, notably Tata and Telecom Namibia
- The group says it dissolves “in the light of recent events”
- He even released decryption keys for their victims
A major ransomware operation has announced a complete judgment and the public publication of decryption keys – however, some are skeptical about what we have seen from this particular group.
The operators, known as Hunters International, published a short announcement on their dark website, informed their subscribers, affiliated companies and the wider cybercriminal community, which they will no longer work.
“After a careful examination and in the light of recent developments, we decided to close the international Hunters project,” said the announcement. “This decision was not taken lightly, and we recognize the impact it has on the organizations with which we have interacted.”
Recall phishing
Although the group mentions the “recent developments”, it does not develop, so we do not know if it means that they were seized by the police, or they simply extorted enough money to call it.
TechcrunchOn the other hand, thinks that there could be a third option – an effort of smoke and mirrors to discourage the police. Discussing the question with the information analyst on the threats of the registered future, Allan Liska, Techcrunch learned that the group could be renamed for world leaks.
“I think it’s more a” links “with the old infrastructure,” said Liska to the publication. It would not be the first group that renamed to try to hide their traces.
After the attack on the colonial pipeline, Darkside, renamed in Blackmatter, and later Alphv / Blackcat, and Revil (Sodinokibi) was preceded by Gandcrab.
As for the release of decryption keys, although commendable, that does not mean much for the attackers, says Liska. Most of them are older victims who did not intend to pay anyway, so for the group – nothing was lost.
“Regarding the release of decryption keys, at this stage, they are not likely to earn money from the victims of hunters who are still there, so they probably see it as a gesture that costs them nothing,” concluded Liska.
