Hive is a brand-new ransomware group that first appeared in late June 2021. It rose to prominence as a result of assaults on businesses in a variety of industries. In just over four months, the ransomware gang and its associates reportedly hacked more than 350 businesses, according to a report. Since the group’s inception in June, the affiliates have attempted to assault an average of three firms every day.
As the ransomware gang ensnared additional victims, a group of researchers devised a mechanism to assist businesses in recovering their data that had been kidnapped and encrypted. Researchers discovered a technique to retrieve the master key and restore data in February 2022 by exploiting a security weakness in the encryption algorithm. Despite this significant advance, the attackers continued to work on enhancing the ransomware’s capabilities.
What’s the most recent news?
SentinelOne threat experts found a new IPfuscation mechanism employed by the Hive ransomware group to conceal its payload.
The method entails the use of IPv4 addresses, which leads to the download of the Cobalt Strike Beacon.
The attackers hide 64-bit Windows executable files behind a series of ASCII IPv4 addresses that appear to be authentic to unwary eyes. The payload for the Cobalt Strike is contained in each of these executable files.
Other alterations noticed
To make the ransomware sample more efficient and difficult to reverse engineer, the Hive ransomware organisation changed its VMware ESXi Linux encryptor to the Rust programming language.
The BlackCat ransomware attack inspired this functionality.
Other additional features were introduced by the group to make it difficult for security researchers to eavesdrop on victims’ ransom conversations.
Last but not least
Despite its youth, Hive has already established itself as one of the most prolific and aggressive ransomware families on the market. According to research, the way the gang conducts its criminal activities might give an incentive for new members to join them. The Hive operators are also recognised for refining and diversifying their TTPs on a regular basis. As a result, it is critical for businesses to be cautious and knowledgeable about possible dangers.
