The Akira Ransomware Gang's Attack on Offut Nord

The Akira ransomware gang has attacked Offut Nord. Offut Nord is a legal firm specializing in insurance defense, medical malpractice, legal malpractice, products liability, toxic torts, personal injury, insurance coverage, insurance bad faith, motor carrier litigation, premises liability, employment discrimination and employer's liability. It is headquartered in Huntington, West Virginia, USA. Akira posted Offut Nord to its data leak site on July 27th, claiming to have stolen 70GB of personal documents, judicial processes, and more.

Akira's Methodology

The Akira ransomware gang, first identified in May 2023, utilizes the Windows Restart Manager API to effectively close processes or terminate Windows services that might be actively using a file, thereby allowing the encryption process to proceed unhindered. In each computer folder affected by the ransomware, a ransom note named "akira_readme.txt" is placed. This note serves as a communication from the attackers, explaining the situation and providing links to the Akira data leak and negotiation sites.

The Ransom Note

The ransom note issued by the Akira group contains a chilling warning: "Regarding your data, in the event that we fail to reach an agreement, we will attempt to sell your personal information, trade secrets, databases, source codes, and anything else deemed valuable on the dark market to multiple threat actors simultaneously. Subsequently, all of this compromised information will be publicly exposed on our blog."

Expanding the Attack

Like other ransomware groups, the Akira gang infiltrates corporate networks and expands its reach to other connected devices. After acquiring Windows domain admin credentials, the threat actors deploy ransomware across the entire network. Before encrypting the files, the attackers take the additional step of exfiltrating sensitive corporate data. This stolen information is then used as leverage during their extortion tactics, as they warn victims that the data will be made public unless a ransom payment is made.

Design of the Data Leak Website

The Akira gang has invested considerable effort into designing their data leak website, which features a retro aesthetic and allows visitors to navigate it using command inputs.