Security News > 2020 > October > Ransomware Group Makes Splashy $20K Donation to Charities

The Darkside ransomware group has distinguished itself from its cybercriminal counterparts not by technical innovation, but by slapping a shiny corporate veneer on its attacks.

The latest evolution in Darkside's ransomware-as-a-corporation gimmick is a hefty $20,000 donation that the group made with stolen Bitcoin to two international charitable organizations, The Water Project and Children International, which they then mysteriously announced by a press release.

Digital Shadows has been tracking Darkside since it popped up last August, and a recent report pointed out that their tactics follow typical ransomware patterns.

Darkside uses customized ransomware for each attack and, according to Digital Shadows, combs through company's financial data to pinpoint what they believe to be an appropriate ransom.

"When the pandemic first started, we saw ransomware operators claim that they wouldn't target hospitals - yet we know many of them have. If ransomware operators truly cared about making the world a better place, they would stop ransoming victims, not make donations."

News URL

https://threatpost.com/ransomware-20k-donation-charities/160386/