The Medusa ransomware gang is one of the most well-known figures in the highly structured field of cybercrime. Medusa is well-known for its aggressive strategies and sophisticated phishing efforts, and they have become a serious threat to businesses all over the world. The inception of the Medusa group, its organizational structure, the functioning of its phishing campaigns, the technical aspects of infection, prominent attacks, and mitigation techniques are all covered on this page.
In this blog, we’ll share some key details regarding the Medusa ransomware, its history, significance, and its impact.
The Medusa Ransomware: A Mythical Name in the Cybercriminal World
In the Greek myth of Medusa, Athena punished a once-beautiful woman, converting her into a winged creature with a head full of snakes. She may terrorize anyone who looks at her directly, making her a monster to be feared and a protector.
This story is so captivating, even though it is frequently broken up into small parts.
In a similar vein, ransomware groups frequently choose names that evoke images of splendor and might. One of the best examples is the Medusa ransomware, which surfaced in late 2022. It has been one of the top ten ransomware attackers since 2023, claiming well-known targets like the Minneapolis Public School District and Toyota Financial Services.
Medusa ransomware: Who is it?
Although the group's precise location and individual operators are unknown, analysts believe Medusa is based in Russia or one of its allies. The group employs lingo specific to Russian criminal subcultures and is active on cybercrime forums in Russian. Additionally, it stays away from focusing on businesses in the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) and Russia. The United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, France, and Italy account for the majority of Medusa ransomware victims. Even though the Medusa ransomware organization is not state-sponsored, researchers think it supports Russian aims.
Origin and Emergence
The Medusa ransomware group emerged in late 2022, and by 2023, it had been recognized as the most feared ransomware-as-a-service (RaaS) operation. At first, it was mistaken for other cybercriminal gangs like MedusaLocker. The Medusa group soon identified itself with unique tactics, branding, and dark web presence.
Medusa operates under the RaaS model, and Medusa offers affiliate access to its ransomware tools. In return, the group takes a commission from every successful ransom payment after scamming and gaining useful access.
The affiliates handle initial access through phishing. After gaining needed access, the core developers focus on malware enhancements, evasion tactics, and extortion mechanisms.
Understanding Ransomware and Phishing
Ransomware | Phishing |
The famous type of malware that encrypts a victim’s data, rendering it inaccessible to legitimate users. The attacker then demands a ransom, typically in cryptocurrency, in exchange for the decryption. | Phishing is a social engineering activity that tricks individuals into revealing sensitive information or downloading malicious software. This is commonly done through deceptive emails, fake websites, or SMS messages designed to look legitimate. |
Medusa's attack Chain
To speed up their attacks, Medusa mostly depends on initial access brokers (IABs). Credential stuffing, brute force attacks, phishing, and any other attack that allows them to access a company's network are the areas of expertise for an IAB. Since IABs profit by selling this information to other threat actors, they only seek the initial access. Since ransomware organizations like Medusa profit from data theft and encryption, they would prefer to purchase network access rather than invest time in breaking in. One of the most potent cybercrime accelerators in the current danger scenario is the partnership between the IAB and ransomware operators.
Additionally, Medusa operators will run phishing efforts and take advantage of vulnerabilities that are visible to the public. Medusa operators will also conduct phishing campaigns and exploit public-facing vulnerabilities.
The Flow and Technical Details of Infection
Stage 1
Getting initial access to the targeted system, the attackers send a malicious link or SMS. Once the victim clicks the links, attackers gain the required access. The loader downloads and installs the Medusa ransomware payload onto the device, mostly using living-off-the-land binaries to evade detection.
Stage 2
Stage 2 involves privilege escalation and lateral movements by employing a combination of techniques to gain administrative privileges and move within the network.
Stage 3
This stage involves encryption. Medusa starts encryption as soon as it has enough access. It concentrates on papers, databases, and business-critical files rather than encrypting system files to maintain machine functionality.
Usually, encrypted files have a special extension, like MEDUSA. Each compromised folder has a ransom note (HOW_TO_RECOVER.txt) requesting a Bitcoin payment.
Final Thoughts
Medusa explores the network, escalates its privileges, and disables protections using PowerShell and other tools. It starts its ransomware binary, gaze.exe, in order to get ready for data exfiltration. Although PowerShell scripts and related technologies manage the actual data transmission, this loads the operations that establish the exfiltration environment. Medusa announces the attack on its dark web leak website, Medusa Blog, and copies the victim's data via TOR encrypted connections.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
1. What is ransomware?
Ransomware is a renowned type of malicious malware that encrypts a victim’s data, rendering it inaccessible to legitimate users.
2. What does Medusa Ransomware mean?
Medusa ransomware refers to a type of malicious software developed and deployed by a cybercriminal group known as the Medusa ransomware gang.
3. What are the stages involved in the Medusa ransomware?
- Initial Access
- Privilege Escalation and Lateral Movement.
- Encryption.
