Medusa

Threat Actor updated a month ago (2024-10-01T19:01:23.954Z)

Download STIX

Preview STIX

Medusa, a prominent threat actor in the cybersecurity landscape, has been increasingly active with its ransomware attacks. The group made headlines in November 2023 when it leveraged a zero-day exploit for the Citrix Bleed vulnerability (CVE-2023-4966), leading to numerous compromises alongside other ransomware groups like LockBit and ALPHV (BlackCat). The threat actor was also observed advertising recruitment attempts, indicating an attempt to expand its operations, as reported by GRIT's ransomware taxonomy. The Medusa group notably targeted Toyota Financial in a major attack on November 17, 2023. They claimed responsibility for the breach and threatened to leak the purportedly stolen data if the company didn’t pay the requested $8 million ransom. The stolen data allegedly included financial documents, purchase invoices, hashed account passwords, clear-text user IDs and passwords, agreements, passport scans, internal organization charts, financial performance reports, and other sensitive company information. Medusa set a deadline for November 26 and even published a sample of the stolen data as proof of the hack. Despite the threats, Toyota declined to pay the ransom, which led Medusa to follow through on its threat and release the stolen information on its Tor leak site. This is not the first time Medusa has resorted to such tactics; previously, it published mental health records of school students after failing to secure a ransom. These actions highlight the increasing risk posed by Medusa and similar threat actors in the digital world, necessitating robust cybersecurity measures from organizations to protect their sensitive data.

Description last updated: 2024-10-01T18:16:38.178Z

What's your take? (Question 1 of 5)

Help tune the shared Cybergeist dataset, assist your peers, and earn karma. Expand the panel to get started.

Possible Aliases / Cluster overlaps

It's hard to track cluster overlaps and naming conventions between vendors, so here are some possible overlapping names / profiles you also may want to look at. Create a free account to see the source evidence for each alias, and help fix any errors.

Alias Description	Votes
Medusa Ransomware is a possible alias for Medusa. Medusa ransomware, a malicious software that debuted as a ransomware-as-a-service operation in late 2022, is known for exploiting and damaging computer systems by infecting them through suspicious downloads, emails, or websites. Once the malware infiltrates a system, it can steal personal informatio	6
Operation Medusa is a possible alias for Medusa. Operation Medusa was a concerted campaign led by the United States Department of Justice and the FBI to disrupt the activities of Turla's Snake malware. Snake, a signature malware used by the Russia-sponsored Turla advanced persistent threat (APT), had been compromising computers on a large scale. T	4
MedusaLocker is a possible alias for Medusa. MedusaLocker is a potent malware, first observed in 2019, that primarily targets the healthcare sector. It operates as a Ransomware-as-a-Service (RaaS), often using the double extortion method for monetary gain. This ransomware has been particularly effective during periods of disorder and confusion	2

Miscellaneous Associations

Other elements of context that could aid in the identification of relevance

Ransomware

Ransom

Malware

Perseus

Tool

Operation Me...

RaaS

Vulnerability

Ddos

Botnet

Encrypt

Trojan

Windows

Infiltration

Locker

Clop

Toyota

Exploit

Data Leak

Encryption

Extortion

Linux

Analyst Notes & Discussion

Be the first to leave your mark here! Log in to share your views and vote.

Associated Malware

To see the evidence that has resulted in these malware associations, create a free account

Alias Description	Association Type	Votes
The Lockbit Malware is associated with Medusa. LockBit is a type of malware, specifically a ransomware, that infiltrates systems to exploit and damage them. It's known for its disruptive activities such as stealing personal information or holding data hostage for ransom. The LockBit ransomware gang has claimed responsibility for several high-pro	Unspecified	6
The Locker Ransomware Malware is associated with Medusa. Locker ransomware, a type of malware, poses significant risks to computer systems and data. Unlike crypto-ransomware which encrypts user data, locker ransomware locks users out of their devices entirely, demanding a ransom payment to restore access without any data encryption. This threat has evolve	Unspecified	4
The Snake Malware Malware is associated with Medusa. The Snake malware, a malicious software program known for its complexity, was identified as a key tool in the arsenal of cybercriminal group Pensive Ursa. Detailed by the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) in May 2023, this Python-based information stealer was used to infect com	Unspecified	4
The Akira Malware is associated with Medusa. Akira is a form of malware, specifically ransomware, that has been involved in a significant number of cyber attacks since its first appearance. It has been particularly active since August 2024, when it was observed by Arctic Wolf Labs to be used in conjunction with another ransomware called Fog. T	Unspecified	4
The Royal Ransomware Malware is associated with Medusa. The Royal Ransomware, a harmful malware program designed to exploit and damage computer systems, operated from September 2022 through June 2023. It employed multi-threaded encryption to disrupt operations and hold data hostage for ransom. The ransomware was primarily disseminated through suspicious	Unspecified	2
The Aukill Malware is associated with Medusa. AuKill, a malicious software (malware) developed by the notorious cybercrime collective FIN7, has been identified as a significant threat to endpoint security. The malware was designed to exploit a vulnerable version of a driver for Microsoft's Process Explorer utility, thereby disabling endpoint pr	Unspecified	2
The Mirai Malware is associated with Medusa. Mirai is a type of malware that specifically targets Internet of Things (IoT) devices to create a botnet, which can then be used for various malicious activities. The Mirai botnet had a significant impact in early 2022, accounting for over 7 million botnet detections globally. However, there was a 9	Unspecified	2

Associated Threat Actors

To see the evidence that has resulted in these threatActor associations, create a free account

Alias Description	Association Type	Votes
The Alphv Threat Actor is associated with Medusa. Alphv, a threat actor also known as BlackCat, has been identified as a significant player in the cybercrime landscape. The group is responsible for numerous high-profile ransomware attacks, including a major breach of the Morrison Community Hospital, where they pilfered 5TB of data. Additionally, Al	Unspecified	5
The Turla Threat Actor is associated with Medusa. Turla, a threat actor linked to Russia, is known for its sophisticated cyber espionage operations. The group has been associated with numerous high-profile attacks, often utilizing advanced backdoors and fileless malware for infiltration and persistence. Turla's tactics, techniques, and procedures (	Unspecified	5
The Ransomhub Threat Actor is associated with Medusa. RansomHub, a threat actor group, has emerged as a significant player in the cybersecurity landscape since its inception in February this year. In less than a year, it has risen to become the number one ransomware operation in terms of claimed successful attacks, according to data from Symantec. This	Unspecified	3
The Rhysida Threat Actor is associated with Medusa. Rhysida, a threat actor active since May 2023, has been responsible for numerous high-profile ransomware attacks. The group is known for its use of various ransomware families, including BlackCat, Hello Kitty, Quantum Locker, Rhysida, Zeppelin, and its own eponymous program, to aid in double extorti	Unspecified	2

Associated Vulnerabilities

To see the evidence that has resulted in these vulnerability associations, create a free account

Alias Description	Association Type	Votes
The Citrix Bleed Vulnerability is associated with Medusa. Citrix Bleed, officially designated as CVE-2023-4966, is a significant software vulnerability affecting Citrix Netscaler Gateway and Netscaler ADC products. This flaw in software design or implementation allows for sensitive information disclosure and has been assigned a high severity rating with a	has used	2
The CVE-2023-4966 Vulnerability is associated with Medusa. CVE-2023-4966, also known as "Citrix Bleed," is a critical zero-day vulnerability affecting Citrix Netscaler Gateway and Netscaler ADC products. Discovered in 2023, this flaw in software design or implementation allows sensitive information disclosure, with a high severity rating of 9.4 on the Commo	Unspecified	2

Source Document References

Information about the Medusa Threat Actor was read from the documents corpus below. This display is limited to 20 results, create a free account to see more

Source Link	CreatedAt	Title
CERT-EU	a year ago	Neutralisation par le gouvernement américain de Snake une redoutable cybermenace russe
CERT-EU	a year ago	FBI legt russisches "Snake"-Malware-Netzwerk des FSB lahm
CERT-EU	a year ago	Οι Αμερικανοί εξουδετέρωσαν τον ιό Snake των Ρώσων - ΤΑ ΝΕΑ
CERT-EU	a year ago	FBI roeit Russische computers uit met Snake-malware
CERT-EU	a year ago	Várias agências internacionais alertam para o malware russo Snake
CERT-EU	a year ago	Les États-Unis désactivent le spyware russe Snake
CERT-EU	a year ago	FBI deckt gigantische russische Spionage-Aktion auf – und nutzt sie selbst zum Schnüffeln
CERT-EU	a year ago	Perseus vs FSB. Οι ΗΠΑ εξουδετέρωσαν τον πιο εξελιγμένο ιό της Ρωσίας
CERT-EU	a year ago	Perseus vs FSB: Οι ΗΠΑ «συνέτριψαν... το snake»- Νέα μέρα στην κυβερνοασφάλεια με την εξουδετέρωση του πιο εξελιγμένου ρωσικού ιού
BankInfoSecurity	a month ago	LockBit and Evil Corp Targeted In Anti-Ransomware Crackdown
Securityaffairs	2 months ago	Toyota disclosed a data breach after ZeroSevenGroup leaked stolen data on a cybercrime forum
CERT-EU	a year ago	Toyota hacked again, this time through its German financial services arm \| #hacking \| #cybersecurity \| #infosec \| #comptia \| #pentest \| #hacker
CERT-EU	10 months ago	Medusa and Akira Rage; Tortilla Disrupted \| #hacking \| #cybersecurity \| #infosec \| #comptia \| #pentest \| #ransomware
DARKReading	7 months ago	After LockBit, ALPHV Takedowns, RaaS Startups Go on a Recruiting Drive
Securityaffairs	3 months ago	BingoMod Android RAT steals money from victims' bank accounts and wipes data
InfoSecurity-magazine	4 months ago	Ransomware Attack Demands Reach a Staggering $5.2m in 2024
InfoSecurity-magazine	4 months ago	New Medusa Trojan Variant Emerges with Enhanced Stealth Features
BankInfoSecurity	4 months ago	Chinese Hackers Used Open-Source Rootkits for Espionage
Securityaffairs	5 months ago	Cybercriminals are targeting elections in India with influence campaigns
Checkpoint	6 months ago	29th April – Threat Intelligence Report - Check Point Research