The LockBit Ransomware Gang's Attack on Hadef & Partners LLC

The LockBit ransomware gang has attacked Hadef & Partners LLC. Hadef & Partners LLC is a law firm headquartered in Abu Dhabi, UAE, founded in 1980. LockBit posted Hadef & Partners LLC to its data leak site on May 22nd, threatening to publish all stolen data if the organization failed to pay a $400,000 ransom. LockBit has since leaked all stolen data.

Background of LockBit

LockBit has been active since 2019 and is enabled with security tool evasion capabilities and an extremely fast encryption speed. LockBit is noted for using a triple extortion model where the victim may also be asked to purchase their sensitive information in addition to paying the ransom demand for decrypting systems. The group continues to improve its attack platform and introduced LockBit in June of 2022, which bore some similarities to the BlackMatter ransomware. The latest version incorporates advanced anti-analysis features and is a threat to both Windows and Linux systems.

Technical Details of LockBit

LockBit employs a Base64-encoded hash and an RSA public key in its configuration and hashes it with MD5. LockBit also created its own bug bounty program.

LockBit's Affiliate Program

LockBit is a well-run affiliate program and has an excellent reputation amongst the affiliate (attacker) community for the platform's maturity and for offering high payouts of as much as 75% of the attack proceeds. LockBit is known to employ multiple extortion techniques, including data exfiltration, to compel payment.