Cloak is a sophisticated ransomware group that emerged in early 2022, notorious for its stealth and advanced evasion methods. Primarily targeting small to medium-sized businesses, they leverage custom malware and zero-day vulnerabilities to conduct their operations, often employing a multi-faceted extortion strategy. Their tactics include double and triple extortion methods, where they threaten data leaks and DDoS attacks on victims who refuse to pay.
Key insights
•Utilizes zero-day vulnerabilities and custom malware for infiltration and data encryption.
•Employs spear-phishing for initial access, often using malicious attachments.
•Known for multi-layered extortion tactics, combining data encryption, theft, and threats of public release.
•Targets various sectors, notably healthcare and finance, with high payment rates from victims.
•Increasingly leveraging initial access brokers to penetrate networks of high-value targets.
•Shifts towards 'triple extortion' by including DDoS attacks against non-compliant victims.