The Cl0p Ransomware Gang Attacks Cree Lighting

The Cl0p ransomware gang has attacked Cree Lighting. Cree Lighting, a division of Ideal Industries, is a company that specializes in producing LED lighting solutions and related products for various applications. The company is known for its commitment to energy-efficient and environmentally friendly lighting technologies. Cl0p posted Cree Lighting to its data leak site on August 21st but provided no further details.

Cl0p: A Ransomware-as-a-Service Platform

Cl0p is a RaaS platform first observed in 2019. Cl0p has advanced anti-analysis capabilities and anti-virtual machine analysis to prevent investigations in an emulated environment like those commonly used by security tools. Cl0p is increasingly using automation to exploit known vulnerabilities to infiltrate targets, as well as a SQL injection zero-day vulnerability (CVE-2023-34362) that installs a web shell – a rarity amongst ransomware operators.

Recent Surge in Cl0p Attacks

Attacks by Cl0p surged in Q1 of 2023 as the gang leveraged patchable exploits for the GoAnywhere file transfer software to compromise more than 100 victims in a matter of weeks, although it is unknown how well they were able to monetize the attacks. Cl0p is likely to be leveraging automation to identify exposed organizations who have not patched against known vulnerability, which is why we are seeing so many new victims.

Ransom Demands and Future Outlook

Ransom demands vary depending on the target and average around $3 million dollars but have been reported as to be as high as $20 million. Ransom amounts are likely to continue to grow as Clop focuses more on the exfiltration of sensitive data.