Ransomware gangs are paying attention to infostealers, so why aren’t you?

Ransomware gangs are paying attention to infostealers, so why aren't you?

February 29, 2024 at 11:37AM

Cybercriminals are increasingly using infostealers to acquire online account passwords and sensitive data to gain access to organizations’ IT environments for deploying ransomware. Notorious ransomware gangs such as LockBit and Trickbot/Conti are interested in obtaining and using infostealers, while the market for stolen credentials gathered by these malware has surged. Security teams should prioritize managing access controls and threat detection related to infostealers.

Based on the meeting notes, it is clear that there has been a significant increase in the use of infostealers by cybercriminals. Infostealers are being utilized as an efficient and relatively straightforward method for gaining access to valuable corporate environments, as they allow hackers to obtain login credentials and other sensitive data from infected computers.

Notorious ransomware groups such as LockBit and Trickbot/Conti have shown interest in acquiring infostealer source codes or collaborating with other cybercrime gangs to develop and use such malware. Additionally, there has been a thriving market for stolen credentials gathered by infostealer malware, with a substantial increase in the volume of logs advertised on illicit marketplaces.

Security researchers have noted that while ransomware gangs and criminal organizations are paying attention to infostealers, many corporations are still not giving them the attention they deserve. Despite the widespread use of infostealers to steal credentials from users, including from AI account services such as OpenAI, organizations have historically deprioritized this type of activity. However, it is crucial for security teams to take the growing threat of infostealers seriously and to prioritize access controls, user trust, and threat detection accordingly.

I hope this summary provides a clear understanding of the content discussed in the meeting notes. If you have any further inquiries or require additional information, please feel free to ask.

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