Maze Ransomware gang to shut down operations soon

Maze Ransomware group that first steals data and then encrypts a database until a ransom is paid has announced that it is going to shut down its business of spreading malware by this month end. 

However, it is still unclear whether the notorious gang of cyber criminals is closing its business on a permanent or a temporary note.

Already, a notice in this regards has been posted on the dark web on November 1st,2020 by Maze. And it states that the project was aimed to teach all those who shared carelessness in protecting their IT assets from cyber attacks.

But the interesting part of the note is that it specifies in the end that it will be back- giving us a hint that it might be going into a temporary hiatus.

Security Researchers working Cisco Talos say that Maze has a history of spreading file encrypting malware only after committing a data breach where it steals a portion of data. That means, even if the victim recovers the locked up data from the backups, there is a good enough chance of cyber crooks leaking the stolen data on the dark web for monetary benefits.

William Holder, who works as a security analyst for Microsoft shared his perspective on the Maze ransomware gang shutting their shop. Mr. Holder said that the gang might have decided because the law enforcement agencies operating across the world are keeping an eye on their developments and might have sniffed their hideouts to arrest.

Holder also put forward his viewpoint that this could be a trap as those spreading ransomware are professional liars and scammers who do everything for a living.

Jamie Hart, Cyber Threat Intelligence Analyst working for Digital Shadows stated that Maze group could have gone out of business as it has cleaned up all the data on its data leak site and hasn’t victimized a database in the past 40-50 days.

Only time can say what exactly the maze ransomware group is up to!

Note – As soon as the Corona Virus Pandemic forced the world to impose a global shutdown, Maze along with RYUK ransomware said that they would not target any victims during the pandemic spread. But they failed to keep their word and demanded humongous sums like $5- $15 million from their victims in one of their hack stints on a company located in Georgia in September this year.