Analysis of RansomHub Cyber Attack on Robeson County Sheriff's Office

Incident Date:

April 16, 2024

World map

Overview

Title

Analysis of RansomHub Cyber Attack on Robeson County Sheriff's Office

Victim

Robeson County Sheriff's Office

Attacker

Ransomhub

Location

Lumberton, USA

North Carolina, USA

First Reported

April 16, 2024

RansomHub Targets Robeson County Sheriff's Office: An Analysis of the Cyber Attack

Victim Overview

The Robeson County Sheriff's Office, serving Robeson County, North Carolina, is a law enforcement agency led by Sheriff Burnis Wilkins. With a focus on community relations and combating major crimes, the office employs personnel with an average salary of $76,958 per year. Despite its critical role in public safety, its digital infrastructure became a target for the ransomware group RansomHub.

About RansomHub

RansomHub, a Ransomware-as-a-Service (RaaS) provider, has quickly gained notoriety since its inception in February 2024. Known for its aggressive extortion tactics and selective targeting, the group has claimed 15 victims across various sectors. RansomHub's operational model includes a high revenue share for affiliates, which has helped it attract skilled cybercriminals globally.

Details of the Attack

Details about the specific nature of the attack on the Robeson County Sheriff's Office remain scarce. However, RansomHub typically employs tactics such as phishing, exploitation of software vulnerabilities, and social engineering to gain access to their targets' networks. Once inside, they deploy ransomware to encrypt data, subsequently demanding ransom in exchange for decryption keys.

Vulnerabilities and Industry Impact

The law enforcement sector, despite its critical importance, often struggles with outdated IT infrastructure and limited cybersecurity budgets, making it a prime target for ransomware attacks. The Robeson County Sheriff's Office, with its significant role in public safety and community relations, represents a high-value target for attackers seeking to disrupt operations and leverage sensitive data.

Sources

Recent Ransomware Attacks

The Recent Ransomware Attacks (RRA) site acts as a watchtower, providing you with near real-time ransomware tracking of attacks, groups and their victims. Given threat actors’ overarching, lucrative success so far, ransomware attacks have become the most ubiquitous, and financially and informationally impactful cyber threat to businesses and organizations today.

The site’s data is generated based on hosting choices of real-world threat actors, and a handful of other trackers. While sanitization efforts have been taken, we cannot guarantee 100% accuracy of the data. Attack updates will be made as source data is reported by reputable sources. By viewing, accessing, or using RRA you acknowledge you are doing so at your own risk.