BlackBasta attacks Simpson Strong-Tie
Incident Date:
October 21, 2023
Overview
Title
BlackBasta attacks Simpson Strong-Tie
Victim
Simpson Strong-Tie
Attacker
Blackbasta
Location
First Reported
October 21, 2023
The BlackBasta Ransomware Gang Attacks Simpson Strong-Tie
The BlackBasta ransomware gang has attacked Simpson Strong-Tie. Simpson Strong-Tie is a well-known American company that specializes in providing structural solutions for the construction industry. The company is widely recognized for its innovative products and engineering services that enhance the safety and resilience of buildings and infrastructure.
BlackBasta posted Simpson Strong-Tie to its data leak site on October 21st, claiming to have stolen “sensitive information, including screenshots of confidentiality agreements, drawings, statements, financial details, and more”.
Background on Black Basta
Black Basta is a RaaS (Ransomware-as-a-Service) that emerged in early 2022 and is assessed by some researchers to be an offshoot of the disbanded Conti and REvil attack groups. The group routinely exfiltrates sensitive data from victims for additional extortion leverage. Black Basta engages in highly targeted attacks and is assessed to only work with a limited group of highly vetted affiliate attackers.
Black Basta has quickly became one of the most prolific attack groups in 2023 and was observed leveraging unique TTPs (Tactics, Techniques, and Procedures) for ingress, lateral movement, data exfiltration, and deployment of ransomware payloads. Ransom demands vary depending on the targeted organization with reports that they can be as high as $2 million dollars.
Black Basta continues to evolve their RaaS platform, with ransomware payloads that can infect systems running both Windows and Linux systems. Black Basta is particularly adept at exploiting vulnerabilities in VMware ESXi running on enterprise servers.
Technical Details of the Ransomware
Black Basta ransomware is written in C++, can target both Windows and Linux systems, encrypts data with ChaCha20, and then the encryption key is encrypted with RSA-4096 for rapid encryption of the targeted network. In some cases, Black Basta leverages malware strains like Qakbot and exploits such as PrintNightmare during the infection process.
Black Basta also favors abuse of insecure Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) deployments, one of the leading infection vectors for ransomware.
Targeted Sectors and Extortion Tactics
Black Basta typically targets manufacturing, transportation, construction and related services, telecommunications, the automotive sector, and healthcare providers. Black Basta also employs a double extortion scheme and maintains an active leaks website where they post exfiltrated data if an organization declines to pay the ransom demand.
Recent Ransomware Attacks
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