VideoBytes: Is it goodbye forever to Maze ransomware?

Hello Folks! In this Videobyte we’re talking about Maze ransomware and whether or not its shutting down, and what that means for the cybercrime world.

The notorious Maze ransomware group, known for its corporate targeting and data leaking extortion schemes is, apparently, shutting down operations.

Rumors began months ago that Maze was shutting down, as many affiliates who helped distribute Maze have been spotted switching to a different, new ransomware family called Egregor.

Then, on November 1, the group behind Maze released a statement claiming that it was closing its doors. The author also went on a rant about how the future will entirely be lived online and Maze ransomware attacks were meant to help prepare companies by forcing them to increase their security.

Typical rhetoric among delusional criminals who want to see their effort as beneficial rather than something which hurts lives.

We will have to wait and see if Maze is truly gone. After all, we thought Ryuk had vanished earlier this year, only to see it return. At the same time, the affiliate shift to Egregor ransomware is somewhat like the shift away from GandCrab to Sodinokibi in 2018-2019.

Unfortunately, history has shown us that when a crime group decides to close their doors, it’s rarely because they have seen the error in their ways and it’s more often due to a new, more powerful threat that these actors would prefer to use.

Links:

• Maze ransomware is shutting down its cybercrime operation – BleepingComputer
• Maze ransomware shuts down operations, denies creating cartel – BleepingComputer

The post VideoBytes: Is it goodbye forever to Maze ransomware? appeared first on Malwarebytes Labs.