A hacker compromises the leak site of the Everest ransomware group.
The leak site on the dark web of the ransomware group warns: "Do not commit crimes."
A website used by the ransomware group Everest was hacked and defaced over the weekend. This portal, employed by the criminal organization to publish stolen files and extort its victims, was replaced with a brief message that read: "Don't commit crimes, CRIME IS BAD xoxo from Prague." At the time of writing this article, the page remained defaced, and it is unclear if the gang also suffered a data breach as a result of the attack.
Everest is a prominent ransomware group linked to Russia, active since 2020. The gang has claimed responsibility for multiple attacks and data breaches, including the theft of information from over 420,000 customers of the cannabis retail chain Stiiizy. Additionally, the U.S. government has linked Everest to several attacks, including security breaches at NASA and the Brazilian government.
Despite the increase in ransomware and extortion attacks, recent data indicates that the number of payments made by victims to hackers decreased overall during 2024, as more companies chose not to pay the high ransoms. Although law enforcement operations have targeted and dismantled some ransomware gangs in recent years, such as LockBit and Radar, several of these organizations have also suffered leaks and sabotage from within.