GINC-APT-0091 · Criminal

Karakurt

Also Gold Tomahawk, Karakurt Lair, Karakurt Team, Mushy Scorpius.

Category
Criminal · Financially motivated: ransomware, fraud and theft.
Origin
Russia(medium confidence)
Motivation
Extortion; Financial gain
Seen
2021
Sources
9 sources carry it
Identifier
GINC-APT-0091 · karakurt

What it is

Karakurt actors have employed a variety of tactics, techniques, and procedures (TTPs), creating significant challenges for defense and mitigation. Karakurt victims have not reported encryption of compromised machines or files; rather, Karakurt actors have claimed to steal data and threatened to auction it off or release it to the public unless they receive payment of the demanded ransom. Known ransom demands have ranged from $25,000 to $13,000,000 in Bitcoin, with payment deadlines typically set to expire within a week of first contact with the victim.

Names

The names each vendor, agency and source gives it. Naming differs by who tracks the actor, so one group carries many.

Other names
Gold Tomahawk, Karakurt Lair, Karakurt Team, Mushy Scorpius

Attribution

Each attribution is a claim: who makes it, and to whom. Western and Eastern sources are kept apart, as they often disagree.

Targets

Countries
Canada, Germany, United Kingdom, United States
Sectors
Energy, Entertainment, Healthcare, Hospitality, Industrial, Manufacturing, Retail, Technology

Tools

The tools and malware families the sources tie to it.

  • 7-Zip
  • AnyDesk
  • Cobalt Strike
  • FileZilla
  • Living off the Land
  • Mimikatz
  • WinZip

Sources