All-time high ransom paid to Dark Angels ransomware gang

Ransomware operation Dark Angels was reported by Zscaler ThreatLabz to have received a $75 million ransom payment, the highest on record, from a Fortune 50 company earlier this year, reports BleepingComputer.

Chainalysis also confirmed the figure, which is over $30 million higher than the previous record-breaking ransom payment made by major insurance firm CNA to the Evil Corp ransomware gang. Even though no further information regarding the impacted organization was provided by Zscaler ThreatLabz, major pharmaceutical firm Cencora was the lone Fortune 50 company compromised in a February cyberattack, which has not yet been claimed by any ransomware operation. Such payment received by Dark Angels is indicative of its persistent "Big Game Hunting" strategy, which focuses on higher-value payouts than more numerous victims. "This is in stark contrast to most ransomware groups, which target victims indiscriminately and outsource most of the attack to affiliate networks of initial access brokers and penetration testing teams," said Zscaler ThreatLabz researchers.