The BlackCat/ALPHV Ransomware Attack on Amber Court

The BlackCat/ALPHV ransomware gang has attacked Amber Court. Amber Court is an assisted living facility in Westbury, New York, USA. BlackCat/ALPHV posted Amber Court to its data leak site on July 13th, threatening to publish all stolen data by July 15th if the organization fails to comply. It is currently unclear whether BlackCat/ALPHV has made good on its threat.

Overview of BlackCat/ALPHV Ransomware

First observed in late 2021, BlackCat/ALPHV employs a well-developed RaaS (Ransomware-as-a-Service) platform that encrypts by way of an AES algorithm where the AES key is encrypted using an RSA public key. BlackCat/ALPHV has the ability to disable security tools and evade analysis. BlackCat/ALPHV is thought to be the first ransomware group using RUST, a secure programming language that offers exceptional performance for concurrent processing. The ransomware also leverages Windows scripting to deploy the payload and to compromise additional hosts.

Links to Previous Ransomware Campaigns

The developers have also been linked to DarkSide/BlackMatter ransomware attacks and may simply be a rebranding of those campaigns. BlackCat/ALPHV also exfiltrates victim data prior to the execution of the ransomware – including from cloud-based deployments - to be leveraged in double extortion schemes to compel payment of the ransom demand.

RaaS Offering and Public Exposure

They have one of the more generous RaaS offerings, offering as much as 80-90% cut to affiliates. BlackCat/ALPHV is also noted for putting their leaks website on the public web instead of the dark web, bringing increased visibility and pressure on impacted organizations to pay the ransom demand.