Blackmatter

Description

BlackMatter emerged in July 2021 and quickly positioned itself as the successor to DarkSide (responsible for the Colonial Pipeline attack). It operated as a Ransomware-as-a-Service (RaaS), adopting a double-extortion model—encrypting systems while exfiltrating sensitive data for publication on its leak site. BlackMatter targeted Windows and Linux/VMware ESXi systems, using ChaCha20 for file encryption with RSA-1024 public key protection. The malware appended a custom extension per victim and dropped ransom notes (README.txt) with Tor portal links. The group focused on large organizations in industries such as critical infrastructure, agriculture, technology, and manufacturing, but claimed to avoid hospitals, nonprofits, and government entities (though some reports contradict this). Initial access methods included exploitation of known vulnerabilities, stolen credentials from brokers, and phishing campaigns. BlackMatter ceased operations in November 2021 after reported pressure from law enforcement and possible member arrests.

External Analysis
https://www.tripwire.com/state-of-security/featured/blackmatter-pose-new-ransomware-threat
https://venturebeat.com/2021/08/23/sophoslabs-research-shows-blackmatter-ransomware-is-closely-acquainted-with-darkside
https://blog.group-ib.com/blackmatter#
https://blog.group-ib.com/blackmatter2
https://blog.talosintelligence.com/2022/03/from-blackmatter-to-blackcat-analyzing.html
https://blogs.blackberry.com/en/2021/09/threat-thursday-blackmatter-ransomware-as-a-service
https://blogs.vmware.com/security/2022/09/esxi-targeting-ransomware-the-threats-that-are-after-your-virtual-machines-part-1.html
https://medium.com/s2wlab/blackmatter-x-babuk-using-the-same-web-server-for-sharing-leaked-files-d01c20a74751
https://medium.com/s2wlab/groove-x-ramp-the-relation-between-groove-babuk-ramp-and-blackmatter-f75644f8f92d
https://medium.com/s2wlab/grooves-thoughts-on-blackmatter-babuk-and-interruption-in-the-supply-of-cheese-in-the-b5328bc764f2
https://news.sophos.com/en-us/2021/08/09/blackmatter-ransomware-emerges-from-the-shadow-of-darkside/
https://symantec.broadcom.com/hubfs/The_Ransomware_Threat_September_2021.pdf
https://thehackernews.com/2022/04/researchers-connect-blackcat-ransomware.html
https://therecord.media/darkside-ransomware-gang-moves-some-of-its-bitcoin-after-revil-got-hit-by-law-enforcement/
https://twitter.com/GelosSnake/status/1451465959894667275
https://twitter.com/VK_Intel/status/1423188690126266370
https://umbrella.cisco.com/blog/cybersecurity-threat-spotlight-blackmatter-lockbit-thor
https://us-cert.cisa.gov/ncas/alerts/aa21-291a
https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/blackmatter-ransomware-moves-victims-to-lockbit-after-shutdown/
https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/darkside-ransomware-rushes-to-cash-out-7-million-in-bitcoin/
https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/linux-version-of-blackmatter-ransomware-targets-vmware-esxi-servers/
https://www.crowdstrike.com/blog/big-game-hunting-on-the-rise-again-according-to-ecrime-index/
https://www.crowdstrike.com/blog/carbon-spider-embraces-big-game-hunting-part-2/
https://www.crowdstrike.com/blog/how-big-game-hunting-ttps-shifted-after-darkside-pipeline-attack/
https://www.elliptic.co/blog/darkside-bitcoins-on-the-move-following-government-cyberattack-against-revil-ransomware-group
https://www.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/demystifying-blackmatter.pdf
https://www.mandiant.com/resources/chasing-avaddon-ransomware
https://www.mcafee.com/blogs/enterprise/mcafee-enterprise-atr/how-groove-gang-is-shaking-up-the-ransomware-as-a-service-market-to-empower-affiliates/
https://www.microsoft.com/security/blog/2022/05/09/ransomware-as-a-service-understanding-the-cybercrime-gig-economy-and-how-to-protect-yourself
https://www.vmware.com/content/dam/digitalmarketing/vmware/en/pdf/docs/vmw-exposing-malware-in-linux-based-multi-cloud-environments.pdf
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NIiEcOryLpI
https://assets.virustotal.com/reports/2021trends.pdf
https://blog.digital-investigations.info/2021-08-05-understanding-blackmatters-api-hashing.html
https://blog.group-ib.com/blackmatter#
https://blog.group-ib.com/blackmatter2
https://blog.minerva-labs.com/blackmatter
https://blog.talosintelligence.com/2022/03/from-blackmatter-to-blackcat-analyzing.html
https://blogs.blackberry.com/en/2021/09/threat-thursday-blackmatter-ransomware-as-a-service
https://blogs.blackberry.com/en/2022/01/kraken-the-code-on-prometheus
https://cert.ssi.gouv.fr/uploads/20220427_NP_TLPWHITE_ANSSI_FIN7.pdf
https://chuongdong.com/reverse%20engineering/2021/09/05/BlackMatterRansomware/
https://go.recordedfuture.com/hubfs/reports/MTP-2021-0804.pdf
https://go.recordedfuture.com/hubfs/reports/cta-2022-0802.pdf
https://ke-la.com/the-ideal-ransomware-victim-what-attackers-are-looking-for/
https://medium.com/s2wblog/blackcat-new-rust-based-ransomware-borrowing-blackmatters-configuration-31c8d330a809
https://medium.com/s2wlab/blackmatter-x-babuk-using-the-same-web-server-for-sharing-leaked-files-d01c20a74751
https://medium.com/s2wlab/groove-x-ramp-the-relation-between-groove-babuk-ramp-and-blackmatter-f75644f8f92d
https://medium.com/s2wlab/grooves-thoughts-on-blackmatter-babuk-and-interruption-in-the-supply-of-cheese-in-the-b5328bc764f2
https://news.sophos.com/en-us/2021/08/09/blackmatter-ransomware-emerges-from-the-shadow-of-darkside/
https://news.sophos.com/en-us/2022/03/17/the-ransomware-threat-intelligence-center/
https://raw.githubusercontent.com/antonioCoco/infosec-talks/main/InsomniHack_2022_Ransomware_Encryption_Internals.pdf
https://services.google.com/fh/files/misc/gcat_threathorizons_full_nov2021.pdf
https://symantec-enterprise-blogs.security.com/blogs/threat-intelligence/blackmatter-data-exfiltration
https://symantec-enterprise-blogs.security.com/blogs/threat-intelligence/noberus-blackcat-ransomware-ttps
https://symantec.broadcom.com/hubfs/The_Ransomware_Threat_September_2021.pdf
https://thehackernews.com/2022/04/researchers-connect-blackcat-ransomware.html
https://therecord.media/blackmatter-ransomware-says-its-shutting-down-due-to-pressure-from-local-authorities/
https://therecord.media/darkside-ransomware-gang-moves-some-of-its-bitcoin-after-revil-got-hit-by-law-enforcement/
https://twitter.com/GelosSnake/status/1451465959894667275
https://us-cert.cisa.gov/ncas/alerts/aa21-291a
https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/blackmatter-ransomware-moves-victims-to-lockbit-after-shutdown/
https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/darkside-ransomware-rushes-to-cash-out-7-million-in-bitcoin/
https://www.ciphertechsolutions.com/rapidly-evolving-blackmatter-ransomware-tactics/
https://www.crowdstrike.com/blog/big-game-hunting-on-the-rise-again-according-to-ecrime-index/
https://www.crowdstrike.com/blog/carbon-spider-embraces-big-game-hunting-part-2/
https://www.crowdstrike.com/blog/how-big-game-hunting-ttps-shifted-after-darkside-pipeline-attack/
https://www.elliptic.co/blog/darkside-bitcoins-on-the-move-following-government-cyberattack-against-revil-ransomware-group
https://www.glimps.fr/lockbit3-0/
https://www.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/demystifying-blackmatter.pdf
https://www.mandiant.com/resources/chasing-avaddon-ransomware
https://www.mandiant.com/resources/cryptography-blackmatter-ransomware
https://www.mcafee.com/blogs/enterprise/blackmatter-ransomware-analysis-the-dark-side-returns/
https://www.mcafee.com/blogs/enterprise/mcafee-enterprise-atr/how-groove-gang-is-shaking-up-the-ransomware-as-a-service-market-to-empower-affiliates/
https://www.microsoft.com/security/blog/2022/04/13/dismantling-zloader-how-malicious-ads-led-to-disabled-security-tools-and-ransomware/
https://www.microsoft.com/security/blog/2022/05/09/ransomware-as-a-service-understanding-the-cybercrime-gig-economy-and-how-to-protect-yourself
https://www.microsoft.com/security/blog/2022/05/09/ransomware-as-a-service-understanding-the-cybercrime-gig-economy-and-how-to-protect-yourself/
https://www.netskope.com/blog/netskope-threat-coverage-blackmatter
https://www.nozominetworks.com/blog/blackmatter-ransomware-technical-analysis-and-tools-from-nozomi-networks-labs/
https://www.splunk.com/en_us/blog/security/gone-in-52-seconds-and-42-minutes-a-comparative-analysis-of-ransomware-encryption-speed.html
https://www.splunk.com/en_us/pdfs/resources/whitepaper/an-empirically-comparative-analysis-of-ransomware-binaries.pdf
https://www.symantec.broadcom.com/hubfs/SED/SED_Threat_Hunter_Reports_Alerts/SED_FY22Q2_SES_Ransomware-Threat-Landscape_WP.pdf
https://www.tesorion.nl/en/posts/analysis-of-the-blackmatter-ransomware/
https://www.theregister.com/2022/03/22/talos-ransomware-blackcat/
https://www.trendmicro.com/en_us/research/22/g/lockbit-ransomware-group-augments-its-latest-variant--lockbit-3-.html
https://www.varonis.com/blog/blackmatter-ransomware/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NIiEcOryLpI
http://chuongdong.com/reverse%20engineering/2021/05/06/DarksideRansomware/
http://ti.dbappsecurity.com.cn/blog/index.php/2021/05/10/darkside/
https://asec.ahnlab.com/en/34549/
https://blog.360totalsecurity.com/en/darksides-targeted-ransomware-analysis-report-for-critical-u-s-infrastructure-2/
https://blog.cyble.com/2021/08/05/blackmatter-under-the-lens-an-emerging-ransomware-group-looking-for-affiliates/
https://blog.gigamon.com/2021/05/17/tracking-darkside-and-ransomware-the-network-view/
https://blog.group-ib.com/blackmatter#
https://blog.group-ib.com/blackmatter2
https://blogs.blackberry.com/en/2021/09/threat-thursday-blackmatter-ransomware-as-a-service
https://blogs.keysight.com/blogs/tech/nwvs.entry.html/2021/05/18/darkside_ransomware-QfsV.html
https://blueteamblog.com/darkside-ransomware-operations-preventions-and-detections
https://brandefense.io/darkside-ransomware-analysis-report/
https://chuongdong.com/reverse%20engineering/2021/05/06/DarksideRansomware/
https://community.riskiq.com/article/fdf74f23
https://cybergeeks.tech/a-step-by-step-analysis-of-a-new-version-of-darkside-ransomware/
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1MI8Z2tBhmqQ5X8Wf_ozv3dVjz5sJOs-3
https://ghoulsec.medium.com/mal-series-13-darkside-ransomware-c13d893c36a6
https://github.com/Haxrein/Malware-Analysis-Reports/blob/main/darkside_ransomware_technical_analysis_report.pdf
https://github.com/sisoma2/malware_analysis/tree/master/blackmatter
https://go.crowdstrike.com/rs/281-OBQ-266/images/Report2021GTR.pdf
https://go.recordedfuture.com/hubfs/reports/MTP-2021-0804.pdf
https://id-ransomware.blogspot.com/2020/08/darkside-ransomware.html
https://id-ransomware.blogspot.com/2021/07/blackmatter-ransomware.html
https://ke-la.com/how-ransomware-gangs-find-new-monetization-schemes-and-evolve-in-marketing/
https://krebsonsecurity.com/2021/05/a-closer-look-at-the-darkside-ransomware-gang/
https://krebsonsecurity.com/2021/08/ransomware-gangs-and-the-name-game-distraction/
https://labs.bitdefender.com/2021/01/darkside-ransomware-decryption-tool/
https://medium.com/s2wlab/w1-jun-en-story-of-the-week-ransomware-on-the-darkweb-af491d33868b
https://news.sophos.com/en-us/2021/05/11/a-defenders-view-inside-a-darkside-ransomware-attack/
https://news.sophos.com/en-us/2022/03/17/the-ransomware-threat-intelligence-center/
https://securityintelligence.com/posts/darkside-oil-pipeline-ransomware-attack/
https://securityscorecard.com/blog/new-evidence-supports-assessment-that-darkside-likely-responsible-for-colonial-pipeline-ransomware-attack-others-targeted
https://socprime.com/blog/affiliates-vs-hunters-fighting-the-darkside/
https://symantec-enterprise-blogs.security.com/blogs/threat-intelligence/noberus-blackcat-ransomware-ttps
https://symantec.broadcom.com/hubfs/Attacks-Against-Critical_Infrastructrure.pdf
https://symantec.broadcom.com/hubfs/The_Ransomware_Threat_September_2021.pdf
https://therecord.media/an-interview-with-blackmatter-a-new-ransomware-group-thats-learning-from-the-mistakes-of-darkside-and-revil/
https://therecord.media/darkside-gang-estimated-to-have-made-over-90-million-from-ransomware-attacks/
https://therecord.media/darkside-ransomware-gang-moves-some-of-its-bitcoin-after-revil-got-hit-by-law-enforcement/
https://therecord.media/popular-hacking-forum-bans-ransomware-ads/
https://therecord.media/ransomware-gang-wants-to-short-the-stock-price-of-their-victims/
https://threatpost.com/guess-fashion-data-loss-ransomware/167754/
https://twitter.com/GelosSnake/status/1451465959894667275
https://twitter.com/JAMESWT_MHT/status/1388301138437578757
https://twitter.com/ValthekOn/status/1422385890467491841?s=20
https://twitter.com/sysopfb/status/1422280887274639375
https://unit42.paloaltonetworks.com/darkside-ransomware/
https://us-cert.cisa.gov/ncas/alerts/aa21-131a
https://us-cert.cisa.gov/ncas/analysis-reports/ar21-189a
https://vulnerability.ch/2021/04/ransomware-and-date-leak-site-publication-time-analysis/
https://www.accenture.com/us-en/blogs/cyber-defense/evolving-danger-ransomware-extortion
https://www.acronis.com/en-us/articles/darkside-ransomware/
https://www.advanced-intel.com/post/from-dawn-to-silent-night-darkside-ransomware-initial-attack-vector-evolution
https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/blackmatter-ransomware-gang-rises-from-the-ashes-of-darkside-revil/
https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/chemical-distributor-pays-44-million-to-darkside-ransomware/
https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/darkside-affiliates-claim-gangs-bitcoins-in-deposit-on-hacker-forum/
https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/darkside-ransomware-gang-returns-as-new-blackmatter-operation/
https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/darkside-ransomware-is-creating-a-secure-data-leak-service-in-iran/
https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/darkside-ransomware-made-90-million-in-just-nine-months/
https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/darkside-ransomware-rushes-to-cash-out-7-million-in-bitcoin/
https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/darkside-ransomware-servers-reportedly-seized-revil-restricts-targets/
https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/popular-russian-hacking-forum-xss-bans-all-ransomware-topics/
https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/us-chemical-distributor-shares-info-on-darkside-ransomware-data-theft/
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-05-13/colonial-pipeline-paid-hackers-nearly-5-million-in-ransom
https://www.coveware.com/blog/ransomware-attack-vectors-shift-as-new-software-vulnerability-exploits-abound
https://www.crowdstrike.com/blog/big-game-hunting-on-the-rise-again-according-to-ecrime-index/
https://www.crowdstrike.com/blog/carbon-spider-embraces-big-game-hunting-part-1/
https://www.crowdstrike.com/blog/carbon-spider-embraces-big-game-hunting-part-2/
https://www.crowdstrike.com/blog/carbon-spider-sprite-spider-target-esxi-servers-with-ransomware/
https://www.crowdstrike.com/blog/carbon-spider-sprite-spider-target-esxi-servers-with-ransomware/?utm_campaign=blog&utm_medium=soc&utm_source=twtr&utm_content=sprout
https://www.crowdstrike.com/blog/falcon-protects-from-darkside-ransomware/
https://www.crowdstrike.com/blog/how-big-game-hunting-ttps-shifted-after-darkside-pipeline-attack/
https://www.crowdstrike.com/blog/how-ransomware-adversaries-reacted-to-the-darkside-pipeline-attack/
https://www.crowdstrike.com/blog/how-to-defend-against-conti-darkside-revil-and-other-ransomware/
https://www.cybereason.com/blog/cybereason-vs-darkside-ransomware
https://www.cyborgsecurity.com/cyborg_labs/hunting-ransomware-inhibiting-system-backup-or-recovery/
https://www.databreaches.net/a-chat-with-darkside/
https://www.databreachtoday.com/blogs/darkside-ransomware-gang-launches-affiliate-program-p-2968
https://www.deepinstinct.com/2021/06/04/the-ransomware-conundrum-a-look-into-darkside/
https://www.digitalshadows.com/blog-and-research/darkside-the-new-ransomware-group-behind-highly-targeted-attacks/
https://www.digitalshadows.com/blog-and-research/ransomware-as-a-service-rogue-affiliates-and-whats-next/
https://www.dragos.com/blog/industry-news/recommendations-following-the-colonial-pipeline-cyber-attack/
https://www.elliptic.co/blog/darkside-bitcoins-on-the-move-following-government-cyberattack-against-revil-ransomware-group
https://www.elliptic.co/blog/darkside-ransomware-has-netted-over-90-million-in-bitcoin
https://www.elliptic.co/blog/elliptic-follows-bitcoin-ransoms-paid-by-darkside-ransomware-victims
https://www.fireeye.com/blog/threat-research/2021/05/shining-a-light-on-darkside-ransomware-operations.html
https://www.flashpoint-intel.com/blog/darkside-ransomware-links-to-revil-difficult-to-dismiss/
https://www.fortinet.com/blog/threat-research/newly-discovered-function-in-darkside-ransomware-variant-targets-disk-partitions
https://www.glimps.fr/lockbit3-0/
https://www.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/demystifying-blackmatter.pdf
https://www.hornetsecurity.com/en/security-informationen-en/leakware-ransomware-hybrid-attacks/
https://www.huntandhackett.com/blog/advanced-ip-scanner-the-preferred-scanner-in-the-apt-toolbox
https://www.ic3.gov/Media/News/2021/211101.pdf
https://www.intel471.com/blog/darkside-ransomware-colonial-pipeline-attack
https://www.intel471.com/blog/darkside-ransomware-shut-down-revil-avaddon-cybercrime
https://www.maltego.com/blog/chasing-darkside-affiliates-identifying-threat-actors-connected-to-darkside-ransomware-using-maltego-intel-471-1/
https://www.mandiant.com/resources/burrowing-your-way-into-vpns
https://www.mcafee.com/blogs/other-blogs/mcafee-labs/are-virtual-machines-the-new-gold-for-cyber-criminals/
https://www.metabaseq.com/recursos/inside-darkside-the-ransomware-that-attacked-colonial-pipeline#
https://www.microsoft.com/security/blog/2022/04/13/dismantling-zloader-how-malicious-ads-led-to-disabled-security-tools-and-ransomware/
https://www.microsoft.com/security/blog/2022/05/09/ransomware-as-a-service-understanding-the-cybercrime-gig-economy-and-how-to-protect-yourself
https://www.nozominetworks.com/blog/colonial-pipeline-ransomware-attack-revealing-how-darkside-works/
https://www.nozominetworks.com/blog/how-to-analyze-malware-for-technical-writing/
https://www.recordedfuture.com/blackmatter-ransomware-successor-darkside-revil/
https://www.repubblica.it/economia/finanza/2021/04/28/news/un_sospetto_attacco_telematico_blocca_le_filiali_della_bcc_di_roma-298485827/
https://www.reuters.com/technology/colonial-pipeline-halts-all-pipeline-operations-after-cybersecurity-attack-2021-05-08/
https://www.secjuice.com/blue-team-detection-darkside-ransomware/
https://www.secureworks.com/research/threat-profiles/gold-waterfall
https://www.sentinelone.com/blog/meet-darkside-and-their-ransomware-sentinelone-customers-protected/
https://www.splunk.com/en_us/blog/security/darkside-ransomware-splunk-threat-update-and-detections.html
https://www.splunk.com/en_us/blog/security/gone-in-52-seconds-and-42-minutes-a-comparative-analysis-of-ransomware-encryption-speed.html
https://www.splunk.com/en_us/blog/security/the-darkside-of-the-ransomware-pipeline.html
https://www.splunk.com/en_us/pdfs/resources/whitepaper/an-empirically-comparative-analysis-of-ransomware-binaries.pdf
https://www.symantec.broadcom.com/hubfs/SED/SED_Threat_Hunter_Reports_Alerts/SED_FY22Q2_SES_Ransomware-Threat-Landscape_WP.pdf
https://www.technologyreview.com/2021/05/24/1025195/colonial-pipeline-ransomware-bitdefender/
https://www.trendmicro.com/en_us/research/21/e/what-we-know-about-darkside-ransomware-and-the-us-pipeline-attac.html
https://www.trendmicro.com/vinfo/us/security/news/cybercrime-and-digital-threats/ransomware-as-a-service-enabler-of-widespread-attacks
https://www.varonis.com/blog/darkside-ransomware/
https://www.wsj.com/articles/colonial-pipeline-ceo-tells-why-he-paid-hackers-a-4-4-million-ransom-11621435636
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NIiEcOryLpI
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qxPXxWMI2i4
https://zawadidone.nl/2020/10/05/darkside-ransomware-analysis.html
https://zawadidone.nl/darkside-ransomware-analysis/
https://zetter.substack.com/p/anatomy-of-one-of-the-first-darkside
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2021-09-18
Pulmuone Co., Ltd.
2021-09-17
Modern Testing Services
2021-09-17
northwoods & spectrumfurniture
2021-09-15
EQUITY TRANSPORTATION
2021-09-11
River City Construction
2021-09-09
hhcp.com
2021-09-09
Network Telecom / Enreach
2021-09-09
Pine Labs Pvt
2021-09-09
Kaydon Corporation (SKF Group Brand)
2021-09-09
tastefulselections & WFG
2021-09-09
Middleton Reutlinger
2021-09-09
g-able.com
2021-09-09
Diamond Schmitt
2021-09-09
Trust Capital Funding