The Rhysida Ransomware Gang Attacks Martinique

The Rhysida ransomware gang has attacked Martinique. Martinique is a small Carribean Island and a special collectivity of the French Republic. It has a population of 376,480 people. Martinique first identified the attack on May 16th. Rhysida has leaked all stolen data, suggesting Martinique did not pay the ransom.

About the Rhysida Ransomware Group

The Rhysida ransomware group, which first appeared in May 2023, presents itself as a “cybersecurity team” aiming to raise awareness about the security vulnerabilities of their targets. However, their tactics involve breaching systems and encrypting victims’ data, demanding ransom payments for its return. Rhysida appears to select its targets randomly, indicating opportunistic rather than targeted campaigns. As such, any organization or individual could become a victim.

The group appears to be in the early stages of its development cycle, with typical ransomware features such as VSS removal conspicuously absent. Rhysida does, however, utilize double-extortion tactics and threatens victims with the publication of stolen data. It also employs Cobalt Strike or similar frameworks and launches phishing campaigns.

Rhysida launches ransomware, initiating a systematic traversal of all files on the infected system’s local drives. Victims are instructed to communicate with the ransomware group through their TOR-based portal using the unique identifier provided in ransom notes.