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CISA releases information on LockBit ransomware

computer screen with multicolor text — *Image via Unsplash*

LockBit was one of the most used ransomware variants globally over the past few years. Since January 2020, affiliates using LockBit have attacked organizations of varying sizes across an array of critical infrastructure sectors, including financial services, food and agriculture, education, energy, government and emergency services, healthcare, manufacturing and transportation.

The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Multi-State Information Sharing and Analysis Center (MS-ISAC) and the following international partners, hereafter referred to as “authoring organizations,” are releasing a Cybersecurity Advisory (CSA) detailing observed activity in LockBit ransomware incidents and providing recommended mitigations to enable network defenders to proactively improve their organization’s defenses against this ransomware operation.

Australian Cyber Security Centre (ACSC)
Canadian Centre for Cyber Security (CCCS)
United Kingdom’s National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC-UK)
National Cybersecurity Agency of France (ANSSI)
Germany’s Federal Office for Information Security (BSI)
New Zealand’s Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT NZ) and National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC NZ)

LockBit ransomware operation functions as a Ransomware-as-a-Service (RaaS) model where affiliates are recruited to conduct ransomware attacks using LockBit ransomware tools and infrastructure. Due to the large number of unconnected affiliates in the operation, LockBit ransomware attacks vary significantly in observed tactics, techniques and procedures (TTPs). This variance in observed ransomware TTPs presents a notable challenge for organizations working to maintain network security and protect against a ransomware threat.

The CSA details how LockBit operates, the history of its development and common attack techniques.