Mounting threats to the profitability of ransomware operations amid escalating law enforcement clampdowns, even by Russia, have prompted the Hunters International ransomware-as-a-service gang to alert affiliates regarding an ongoing rebrand to the data theft-focused "World Leaks" in November, only for the group to roll back such an announcement weeks later, The Register reports.
Despite reaffirming its operations, Hunters International which counts Tata Technologies and the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China's London HQ as some of its victims could still proceed with the revamp, with World Leaks still in operation after being unveiled on New Year's Day, according to a report from Group-IB. Analysis of the World Leaks site showed the presence of a user-friendly and stealthy data exfiltration software-as-a-service platform. Such a development comes as more ransomware gangs have been transitioning to data extortion tactics since 2022, as exhibited by the Karakurt and BianLian groups, while ransomware profitability was reported by Sophos to have significantly increased.
