Qilin attacks Hal Leonard Australia
Incident Date:
January 9, 2024
Overview
Title
Qilin attacks Hal Leonard Australia
Victim
Hal Leonard Australia
Attacker
Qilin
Location
First Reported
January 9, 2024
Hal Leonard Australia Hit by Qilin Ransomware Attack
Hal Leonard Australia has reportedly fallen victim to an attack by the Qilin ransomware group. The group obtained several pieces of corporate information, including private contracts, agreements, all financial documentation, projects, email correspondence, and much more. Hal Leonard Australia is a subsidiary of Hal Leonard Corporation, which is the world’s largest music print publisher. Hal Leonard Corporation operates in more than 65 countries and represents some of the most esteemed artists, such as The Beatles, Miles Davis, Diana Krall, Justin Timberlake, Stevie Wonder, Irving Berlin, and Rodgers & Hammerstein.
In addition to their publishing work, Hal Leonard offers various digital services, such as music and media production tools, online music lessons, and digital sheet music. The Australian branch, Hal Leonard Australia, focuses on serving the Australian market, catering to the needs of musicians, educators, and retailers in that region.
The Qilin Ransomware Operation
Qilin, a Ransomware-as-a-Service (RaaS) operation, uses a Rust-based ransomware to carry out targeted attacks on its victims. Each Qilin ransomware attack employs tactics such as altering the filename extensions of encrypted files and terminating specific processes and services. The utilization of Rust as the ransomware's foundation proves particularly effective due to its evasive nature and inherent complexity, allowing for seamless customization across various operating systems such as Windows, Linux, and others. Notably, the Qilin ransomware group can generate samples for both Windows and ESXi versions.
Qilin promotes its ransomware on the dark web, utilizing a proprietary DLS (Dedicated Leak Site) that contains distinctive company identifiers and leaked account information, as uncovered by experts from Group-IB Threat Intelligence. The operators behind Qilin employ a double extortion technique, whereby they not only encrypt a victim's sensitive data but also exfiltrate it. Subsequently, they demand payment for a decryptor and insist on the non-disclosure of stolen data even after the ransom has been paid. Qilin ransomware features multiple encryption modes, all under the control of the operator.
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.