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Showing posts from May, 2021

DarkSide Ransomware Gang Extorted $90 Million from Several Victims in 9 Months

  DarkSide, the hacker group behind the  Colonial Pipeline ransomware attack  earlier this month, received $90 million in bitcoin payments following a nine-month ransomware spree, making it one of the most profitable cybercrime groups. "In total, just over $90 million in bitcoin ransom payments were made to DarkSide, originating from 47 distinct wallets," blockchain analytics firm Elliptic  said . "According to  DarkTracer , 99 organisations have been infected with the DarkSide malware - suggesting that approximately 47% of victims paid a ransom, and that the average payment was $1.9 million." Of the total $90 million haul, the DarkSide's developer is said to have received $15.5 million in bitcoins, while the remaining $74.7 million was split among its various affiliates. FireEye's research into DarkSide's affiliate program had  previously revealed  that its creators take a 25% cut for payments under $500,000 and 10% for ransoms above $5 million, with th