Ransomware gang Hunters Worldwide says it’s shutting down
The ransomware gang often known as Hunters Worldwide introduced on its darkish net web page Thursday that it’s shutting down.
“After cautious consideration and in gentle of current developments, we’ve determined to shut the Hunters Worldwide venture,” the hackers wrote in a submit, with out clarifying what particular developments it was referring to. “This determination was not made calmly, and we acknowledge the influence it has on the organizations we’ve interacted with.”
The hackers additionally stated they’re providing free decryption keys “to all corporations which have been impacted by our ransomware.”
“Our objective is to make sure which you can get well your encrypted information with out the burden of paying ransoms,” wrote the gang, which requested victims to go to its official website to acquire the decryption keys and to get well the encrypted information.
On the time of writing, there isn’t any such info on the web site.
Hunters Worldwide has claimed a number of victims in its two years of existence, together with a U.S. most cancers middle and the U.S. Marshals Service; nonetheless, the regulation enforcement company denied having been hacked by the cybercrime gang.
A number of ransomware gangs prior to now have launched their victims’ decryption keys, then shut down, every of them for various causes. Some shut down solely to return beneath a brand new identify, maybe in an try and confuse researchers and regulation enforcement companies and typically to flee sanctions. Others determined to name it quits after acquiring sufficient funds to retire.
Within the case of Hunters Worldwide, it’s nonetheless too early to inform what the gang’s motivations are for shutting down, however there have been indicators way back to April that time to a rebrand and transition to a gaggle known as World Leaks, in response to Allan Liska, a menace intelligence analyst at cybersecurity agency Recorded Future.
“I feel that is extra of a ‘chopping of ties’ with the previous infrastructure,” stated Liska, who has been monitoring ransomware for years. “So far as releasing decryption keys, at this level they aren’t prone to make any cash from any Hunters’ victims who’re nonetheless on the market, in order that they in all probability see it as a gesture that doesn’t actually value them something.”
World Leaks group makes use of a brand new ransomware software program and has a brand new website hosted elsewhere, however the individuals behind it might be the identical, stated Liska.
Liska stated the rationale for the gang going darkish could also be that “utilizing the identical technical infrastructure too lengthy makes you extra weak to regulation enforcement,” referring to Hive, a ransomware gang that was seized and shut down by the FBI in 2023.
“Or, they bought wind that regulation enforcement was closing in and determined to get forward of them,” he stated.