Grande Stevens International: A Law Firm Targeted by Blackbyte Ransomware Group

Grande Stevens International, an English law firm with offices in London, Turin, Milan, and Rome, has been targeted by the Blackbyte ransomware group. The attack was announced on the group's dark web leak site. The company operates in the Law Firms & Legal Services sector and has been recognized for its expertise in providing practical, commercial, and cost-effective solutions to clients' legal and business requirements.

Company Size and Industry Standout

Grande Stevens International is a mid-sized law firm with a wide range of clients, including international businesses, financial institutions, entrepreneurs, private families, private individuals, and intermediaries. The firm's expertise spans various practice areas and sectors, and it is particularly known for its close association with Grande Stevens Studio Legale, an Italian law firm, which allows it to provide comprehensive legal assistance on all Italian law-related matters.

Vulnerabilities and Targeting

The ransomware attack on Grande Stevens International highlights the need for robust cybersecurity measures in the legal services sector. While specific details about the vulnerabilities exploited by the Blackbyte ransomware group are not available, the attack underscores the importance of patching software vulnerabilities, implementing multi-factor authentication, and educating employees about phishing and social engineering tactics.

In recent years, ransomware attackers have increasingly targeted zero-day vulnerabilities and one-day flaws to gain access to target networks. The Cl0p ransomware group, for example, has been known to exploit such vulnerabilities, as seen in their attacks on Fortra's GoAnywhere software and Progress Software's MOVEIt file transfer software.

Mitigating Ransomware Attacks

To mitigate the risk of ransomware attacks, organizations should focus on understanding the attack vectors used by threat actors and prioritize patching newly disclosed vulnerabilities. Additionally, implementing platforms for endpoint detection and response (EDR), security orchestration, automation, and response (SOAR), and active application security management (ASM) can help reduce ransomware risk.

The ransomware attack on Grande Stevens International serves as a reminder of the importance of robust cybersecurity measures in the legal services sector. By understanding the tactics used by threat actors and implementing appropriate security measures, organizations can better protect themselves against ransomware attacks.

Sources

• Grande Stevens International. (n.d.). About Us. Retrieved April 10, 2024, from https://www.grandestevensint.co.uk/about-us/
• Grande Stevens International. (n.d.). Our People. Retrieved April 10, 2024, from https://www.grandestevensint.co.uk/our-people/
• Imperva. (n.d.). Ransomware Protection. Retrieved April 10, 2024, from https://www.imperva.com/learn/application-security/ransomware/
• Palo Alto Networks. (n.d.). What Are Ransomware Attacks? Retrieved April 10, 2024, from https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/cyberpedia/ransomware-common-attack-methods
• Akamai. (2023, August 7). Ransomware Victims Surge as Threat Actors Pivot to Zero-Day Exploits. Retrieved April 10, 2024, from https://www.darkreading.com/threat-intelligence/ransomware-victims-surge-as-threat-actors-pivot-to-zero-day-exploits
• Sophos. (2024, April 3). Unpatched Vulnerabilities: The Most Brutal Ransomware Attack Vector. Retrieved April 10, 2024, from https://news.sophos.com/en-us/2024/04/03/unpatched-vulnerabilities-the-most-brutal-ransomware-attack-vector/