Cybercrime group 🔴 Threat

The cybercriminals are often organised in specialist groups who carry out targeted attacks for the purposes of extortion, espionage or sabotage. Here is a list of the best-known groups, with their specialities and notable attacks.

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1️⃣ Groups specialising in ransomware 💰

These groups develop and distribute ransomware (programs that encrypt files and demand a ransom to unlock them).

🔴 REvil (Sodinokibi)

📍 Origin : Russia
📌 Speciality: Ransomware-as-a-Service (RaaS), dual extortion (exfiltration + encryption)
📌 Famous attacks :

• JBS Foods (2021) - Ransom of 11 million $
• Kaseya (2021) - Reached over 1,500 companies
  🔹 Status : Disbanded by the FBI in 2022, but some members are still active

🔴 LockBit

📍 Origin : Probably Russia
📌 Speciality: Rapid, targeted attacks on businesses
📌 Famous attacks :

• Thales (2022) - Data infiltration
• Hospitals in France (2022) - Massive disruption
  🔹 Status : Still active, "LockBit 3.0" version

🔴 Conti

📍 Origin : Russia
📌 Speciality: Attacks on businesses and critical infrastructure
📌 Famous attacks :

• Costa Rica (2022) - Costa Rican government paralysed
• Health Service Executive (HSE) in Ireland (2021) - Impact on hospitals
  🔹 Status : Disbanded in 2022, but members joined other groups

🔴 Black Basta

📍 Origin: Russia (ex-Conti members)
📌 Speciality: Attacks on companies
📌 Famous attacks :

• Deutsche Windtechnik (2022) - Wind energy company
• Foxconn (2022) – Data theft industrial
  🔹 Status : Always active

 

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2️⃣ Groups specialising in espionage and cyber sabotage 🕵️‍♂️

These groups, often linked to governmentsThey carry out attacks to steal industrial secrets, manipulate elections or sabotage infrastructure.

🟢 APT29 (Cozy Bear)

📍 Origin: Russia (linked to the FSB, formerly the KGB)
📌 Speciality: Spying on governments and major corporations
📌 Famous attacks :

• Hacking of the US Democratic Party (2016)
• Attacks on COVID-19 (2020) vaccine laboratories
  🔹 Status : Assets

🟢 APT28 (Fancy Bear)

📍 Origin: Russia (linked to the GRU, military service)
📌 Speciality: Cyber-warfare, propaganda, election manipulation
📌 Famous attacks :

• Hacking of Emmanuel Macron's campaign (2017)
• Hacking of the German Bundestag (2015)
  🔹 Status : Assets

🟢 Lazarus Group

📍 Origin : North Korea
📌 Speciality: Espionage + Theft of funds to finance the regime
📌 Famous attacks :

• Hacking of Sony Pictures (2014) - In response to the film The Interview
• Theft of 620 million $ in cryptocurrencies (2022) via Axie Infinity
  🔹 Status : Assets

🟢 Charming Kitten (APT35)

📍 Origin : Iran
📌 Speciality: Spying on NGOs, journalists and technology companies
📌 Famous attacks :

• Attempted hacking of the US elections (2020)
• Hacking of Iranian dissidents and academic researchers
  🔹 Status : Assets

 

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3️⃣ Groups specialising in theft and fraud 💳

These groups steal bank detailsand credit cards and resell data on the dark web.

🔵 FIN7 (Carbanak Group)

📍 Origin: Ukraine and Russia
📌 Speciality: Bank data theft, financial scams
📌 Famous attacks :

• 1 billion $ stolen through attacks on banks
• Pirates of fast food chains (Chili's, Arby's, etc.)
  🔹 Status : Some members arrested in 2018, but still active

🔵 Magecart

📍 Origin: Various groups (decentralised network)
📌 Speciality: Bank card skimming via e-commerce sites
📌 Famous attacks :

• British Airways hack (2018) - 380,000 bank cards stolen
• Ticketmaster hacking (2018)
  🔹 Status : Assets

🔵 Evil Corp

📍 Origin : Russia
📌 Speciality: Theft of funds via malware banking
📌 Famous attacks :

• 100 million $ stolen via Dridex malware
• Linked to ransomware attacks (WastedLocker)
  🔹 Status : Still active, but under US sanctions

 

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4️⃣ Groups of hacktivists and cybermercenaries 🔥

Some cybercriminals act on behalf ofpolitical or social ideasOthers sell their services to the highest bidder.

🟠 Anonymous

📍 Origin: Decentralised global network
📌 Speciality: DDoSdata leakage, whistleblowing by governments and companies
📌 Famous attacks :

• Attacks on PayPal and Mastercard (2010) after WikiLeaks was blocked
• Cyber attacks against Russia after the invasion of Ukraine (2022)
  🔹 Status : Always active

🟠 GhostSec

📍 Origin: Hacktivists (ex-Anonymous)
📌 Speciality: Attacks on terrorist groups and authoritarian states
📌 Famous attacks :

• Cyber attacks against the Islamic State (2015-2017)
  🔹 Status : Assets