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Criminals get real: it was reputation all along
An FBI report shows that in a new variant, extortion attacks don’t lock your files like the familiar ransomware
Ransomware and no downtime?!
In May the FBI issued a flash alert (FLASH-20260526-01) about a ransomware group that has consistently targeted US law firms since spring 2023; it carries out data theft and extortion without traditional ransomware encryption.
The scam itself is not exceptional: someone phones an employee and claims to be from the firm’s IT department or sends an email urging the employee to call back; the attacker asks for remote access to the employee’s computer. If that approach falls through someone shows up at the office and plugs in a storage device, explaining that the computer needs to be imaged or backed up due to a phishing email. The files are copied to the attacker’s drive or cloud storage. Then a ransom email arrives, threatening to sell or post the data. The group also phones employees or clients of the victim to pressure the firm into negotiating.
That’s right, no encryption or threat of encryption. Employees can just go on with their work. Why?
To read the complete report, visit our Substack (everything there is free to read).
Lawrence writes about networking and security. His consumer-scam writing has appeared on the Moneywise website. He’s written for Bryley since 2015.
