Wizard Spider, Gold Blackburn

Description

Wizard Spider is reportedly associated with Lunar Spider.

(Crowdstrike) The Wizard Spider threat group is the Russia-based operator of the TrickBot banking malware. This group represents a growing criminal enterprise of which Grim Spider appears to be a subset. The Lunar Spider threat group is the Eastern European-based operator and developer of the commodity banking malware called BokBot (aka IcedID), which was first observed in April 2017. The BokBot malware provides Lunar Spider affiliates with a variety of capabilities to enable credential theft and wire fraud, through the use of webinjects and a malware distribution function.

Dyre has been observed to be distributed by Cutwail (operated by Narwhal Spider), as well as their own botnets Gophe and Upatre.

TrickBot has been observed to be distributed via Emotet (operated by Mummy Spider, TA542), BokBot (operated by Lunar Spider), Smoke Loader (operated by Smoky Spider), DanaBot (operated by Scully Spider, TA547), Kelihos (operated by Zombie Spider), Necurs (operated by Monty Spider) and Taurus Loader (operated by Venom Spider, Golden Chickens), as well as their own botnet Gophe.

Names

Name	Name-Giver
Wizard Spider	CrowdStrike
Grim Spider	CrowdStrike
TEMP.MixMaster	FireEye
Gold Blackburn	SecureWorks
Gold Ulrick	SecureWorks
ITG23	IBM
DEV-0193	Microsoft
Storm-0230	Microsoft
Periwinkle Tempest	Microsoft

Country

Russia

Motivation

Financial crime
Financial gain

First Seen

2014

Observed Sectors

Observed Countries

Worldwide

Tools

Operations

2019-04: Cybercriminals Spoof Major Accounting and Payroll Firms in Tax Season Malware Campaigns https://securityintelligence.com/cybercriminals-spoof-major-accounting-and-payroll-firms-in-tax-season-malware-campaigns/
2019-06: During June and July, F5 researchers first noticed Trickbot campaigns aimed at a smaller set of geographically oriented targets and did not use redirection attacks—a divergence from previous Trickbot characteristics. https://www.f5.com/labs/articles/threat-intelligence/tricky-trickbot-runs-campaigns-without-redirection
2019-08: In a recent analysis in our cybercrime research labs, we noticed changes in the deployment of the TrickBot Trojan. At the time, the change we observed only applied to infection attempts on Windows 10 64-bit operating systems (OSs). In those cases, TrickBot ran the payload, but did not save its typical modules and configurations to disk. https://securityintelligence.com/posts/the-curious-case-of-a-fileless-trickbot-infection/
2019-10: Computers at the DCH Regional Medical Center in Tuscaloosa, Fayette Medical Center and Northport Medical Center were infected with ransomware. https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-49905226
2019-10: Shipping giant Pitney Bowes hit by ransomware https://techcrunch.com/2019/10/14/pitney-bowes-ransomware-attack/
2019-11: Louisiana was hit by Ryuk, triggering another cyber-emergency https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2019/11/louisiana-was-hit-by-ryuk-triggering-another-cyber-emergency/
2019-12: TrickBot Widens Infection Campaigns in Japan Ahead of Holiday Season https://securityintelligence.com/posts/trickbot-widens-infection-campaigns-in-japan-ahead-of-holiday-season/
2019-12: The Deadly Planeswalker: How The TrickBot Group United High-Tech Crimeware & APT https://labs.sentinelone.com/the-deadly-planeswalker-how-the-trickbot-group-united-high-tech-crimeware-apt/
2019-12: The cyberattack that took down public-access computers at Volusia County, Fla., libraries last month involved ransomware that has elicited millions of dollars in ransom payments from governments and large businesses. https://www.govtech.com/security/Ryuk-Ransomware-behind-Attack-on-Florida-Library-System.html
2019-12: New Orleans latest apparent victim of Ryuk ransomware https://statescoop.com/new-orleans-latest-apparent-victim-of-ryuk-ransomware/
2019-12: An infection with the Ryuk ransomware took down a maritime facility for more than 30 hours; the US Coast Guard said in a security bulletin it published before Christmas. https://www.zdnet.com/article/us-coast-guard-discloses-ryuk-ransomware-infection-at-maritime-facility/
2019-12: Suspected Ryuk ransomware attack locks down Adelaide’s City of Onkaparinga council https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-01-06/city-of-onkaparinga-hit-by-ryuk-ransomware/11843598
2020-01: On the heels of a Ryuk ransomware attack on the Tampa Bay Times, researchers reported a new variant of the Ryuk stealer being aimed at government, financial and law enforcement targets. https://www.scmagazine.com/home/security-news/tampa-bay-times-hit-by-ryuk-new-variant-of-stealer-aimed-at-govt-finance/
2020-01: Electronic Warfare Associates (EWA), a 40-year-old electronics company and a well-known US government contractor, has suffered a ransomware infection, ZDNet has learned. https://www.zdnet.com/article/dod-contractor-suffers-ransomware-infection/
2020-01: Top-Tier Russian Organized Cybercrime Group Unveils Fileless Stealthy “PowerTrick” Backdoor for High-Value Targets https://labs.sentinelone.com/top-tier-russian-organized-cybercrime-group-unveils-fileless-stealthy-powertrick-backdoor-for-high-value-targets/
2020-02: Ryuk Ransomware Campaign Targets Port Lavaca City Hall https://www.cisomag.com/ryuk-ransomware-campaign-targets-port-lavaca-city-hall/
2020-02: EMCOR Group, a US-based Fortune 500 company specialized in engineering and industrial construction services, disclosed last month a ransomware incident that took down some of its IT systems. https://www.zdnet.com/article/ryuk-ransomware-hits-fortune-500-company-emcor/
2020-02: Epiq Global, an international e-discovery and managed services company, has taken its systems offline globally after detecting unauthorized activity. https://www.lawsitesblog.com/2020/03/epiq-global-down-as-company-investigates-unauthorized-activity-on-systems.html
2020-03: Trickbot campaign targets Coronavirus fears in Italy https://news.sophos.com/en-us/2020/03/04/trickbot-campaign-targets-coronavirus-fears-in-italy/
2020-03: EVRAZ, one of the world’s largest steel manufacturers and mining operations, has been hit by ransomware, a source inside the company told ZDNet today. https://www.zdnet.com/article/one-of-roman-abramovichs-companies-got-hit-by-ransomware/
2020-03: The City of Durham, North Carolina has shut down its network after suffering a cyberattack by the Ryuk Ransomware this weekend. https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/ryuk-ransomware-behind-durham-north-carolina-cyberattack/
2020-03: New Variant of TrickBot Being Spread by Word Document https://www.fortinet.com/blog/threat-research/new-variant-of-trickbot-being-spread-by-word-document.html
2020-03: New TrickBot Module Bruteforces RDP Connections, Targets Select Telecommunication Services in US and Hong Kong https://labs.bitdefender.com/2020/03/new-trickbot-module-bruteforces-rdp-connections-targets-select-telecommunication-services-in-us-and-hong-kong/
2020-03: TrickBot Pushing a 2FA Bypass App to Bank Customers in Germany https://securityintelligence.com/posts/trickbot-pushing-a-2fa-bypass-app-to-bank-customers-in-germany/
2020-04: BazarBackdoor: TrickBot gang’s new stealthy network-hacking malware https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/bazarbackdoor-trickbot-gang-s-new-stealthy-network-hacking-malware/
2020-04: TrickBot Campaigns Targeting Users via Department of Labor FMLA Spam https://securityintelligence.com/posts/trickbot-campaigns-targeting-users-via-department-of-labor-fmla-spam/
2020-04: As early as April 2020, TrickBot updated one of its propagation modules known as “mworm” to a new module called “nworm.” Infections caused through nworm leave no artifacts on an infected DC, and they disappear after a reboot or shutdown. https://unit42.paloaltonetworks.com/goodbye-mworm-hello-nworm-trickbot-updates-propagation-module/
2020-07: Collaboration between FIN7 and the RYUK group https://blog.truesec.com/2020/12/22/collaboration-between-fin7-and-the-ryuk-group-a-truesec-investigation/
2020-07: The infamous TrickBot trojan has started to check the screen resolutions of victims to detect whether the malware is running in a virtual machine. https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/trickbot-malware-now-checks-screen-resolution-to-evade-analysis/
2020-07: Leading toy maker Mattel hit by ransomware https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/leading-toy-maker-mattel-hit-by-ransomware/
2020-08: University of Utah pays $457,000 to ransomware gang https://www.zdnet.com/article/university-of-utah-pays-457000-to-ransomware-gang/
2020-08: Conti (Ryuk) joins the ranks of ransomware gangs operating data leak sites https://www.zdnet.com/article/conti-ryuk-joins-the-ranks-of-ransomware-gangs-operating-data-leak-sites/
2020-09: US Court Hit by “Conti” Ransomware https://www.cbronline.com/news/conti-ransomware-court
2020-09: Universal Health Services (UHS), a Fortune 500 hospital and healthcare services provider, has reportedly shut down systems at healthcare facilities around the US after a cyber-attack that hit its network during early Sunday morning. https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/uhs-hospitals-hit-by-reported-country-wide-ryuk-ransomware-attack/
2020-10: French IT giant Sopra Steria hit by Ryuk ransomware https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/french-it-giant-sopra-steria-hit-by-ryuk-ransomware/
2020-10: Steelcase furniture giant hit by Ryuk ransomware attack https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/steelcase-furniture-giant-hit-by-ryuk-ransomware-attack/
2020-11: LightBot: TrickBot’s new reconnaissance malware for high-value targets https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/lightbot-trickbot-s-new-reconnaissance-malware-for-high-value-targets/
2020-11: Online education giant K12 Inc. has paid a ransom after their systems were hit by Ryuk ransomware in the middle of November. https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/k12-online-schooling-giant-pays-ryuk-ransomware-to-stop-data-leak/
2021-01: FatFace sends controversial data breach email after ransomware attack https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/fatface-sends-controversial-data-breach-email-after-ransomware-attack/
2021-01: Scottish Environment Protection Agency refuses to pay ransomware crooks over 1.2GB of stolen data https://www.theregister.com/2021/01/18/scottish_environment_protection_agency_refuses_to_pay_ransom/
2021-02: Trickbot Rebirths Emotet: 140,000 Victims in 149 Countries in 10 Months https://blog.checkpoint.com/2021/12/08/trickbot-rebirths-emotet-140000-victims-in-149-countries-in-10-months/
2021-03: Ryuk ransomware hits 700 Spanish government labor agency offices https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/ryuk-ransomware-hits-700-spanish-government-labor-agency-offices/
2021-03: Ransomware gang wanted $40 million in Florida schools cyberattack https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/ransomware-gang-wanted-40-million-in-florida-schools-cyberattack/
2021-04: BazarLoader deploys a pair of novel spam vectors https://news.sophos.com/en-us/2021/04/15/bazarloader/
2021-05: Green Energy Company Volue Hit by Ransomware https://www.securityweek.com/green-energy-company-volue-hit-ransomware
2021-05: Conti ransomware also targeted Ireland’s Department of Health https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/conti-ransomware-also-targeted-irelands-department-of-health/
2021-05: Ireland’s Health Services hit with $20 million ransomware demand https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/ireland-s-health-services-hit-with-20-million-ransomware-demand/ https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/conti-ransomware-gives-hse-ireland-free-decryptor-still-selling-data/
2021-05: New Zealand hospitals infected by ransomware, cancel some surgeries https://www.theregister.com/2021/05/19/new_zealand_hospitals_taken_down/
2021-05: Operation “BazaFlix” The threat actor created a robust fake movie streaming service called BravoMovies, complete with fake movie titles as a landing page. https://www.proofpoint.com/us/blog/threat-insight/bazaflix-bazaloader-fakes-movie-streaming-service
2021-05: Exagrid pays $2.6m to Conti ransomware attackers https://www.computerweekly.com/news/252501665/Exagrid-pays-26m-to-Conti-ransomware-attackers
2021-06: City of Liege, Belgium hit by ransomware https://therecord.media/city-of-liege-belgium-hit-by-ransomware/
2021-06: Tulsa warns of data breach after Conti ransomware leaks police citations https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/tulsa-warns-of-data-breach-after-conti-ransomware-leaks-police-citations/
2021-06: Diavol - A New Ransomware Used By Wizard Spider? https://www.fortinet.com/blog/threat-research/diavol-new-ransomware-used-by-wizard-spider
2021-08: Conti ransomware prioritizes revenue and cyberinsurance data theft https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/conti-ransomware-prioritizes-revenue-and-cyberinsurance-data-theft/
2021-08: Nokia subsidiary discloses data breach after Conti ransomware attack https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/nokia-subsidiary-discloses-data-breach-after-conti-ransomware-attack/
2021-09: JVCKenwood hit by Conti ransomware claiming theft of 1.5TB data https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/jvckenwood-hit-by-conti-ransomware-claiming-theft-of-15tb-data/
2021-10: Conti gang threatens to dump victim data if ransom negotiations leak to reporters https://therecord.media/conti-gang-threatens-to-dump-victim-data-if-ransom-negotiations-leak-to-reporters/
2021-10: Sandhills online machinery markets shut down by ransomware attack https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/sandhills-online-machinery-markets-shut-down-by-ransomware-attack/
2021-10: Conti Ransom Gang Starts Selling Access to Victims https://krebsonsecurity.com/2021/10/conti-ransom-gang-starts-selling-access-to-victims/
2021-11: Celebrity jewelry house Graff falls victim to ransomware https://blog.malwarebytes.com/ransomware/2021/11/celebrity-jewelry-house-graff-falls-victim-to-ransomware/
2021-11: Data breach impacts 80,000 South Australian govt employees [Frontier Software] https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/data-breach-impacts-80-000-south-australian-govt-employees/
2021-11: From Shathak Emails to the Conti Ransomware https://www.cybereason.com/blog/threat-analysis-report-from-shatak-emails-to-the-conti-ransomware https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/trickbot-teams-up-with-shatak-phishers-for-conti-ransomware-attacks/
2021-12: Nordic Choice Hotels hit by Conti ransomware, no ransom demand yet https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/nordic-choice-hotels-hit-by-conti-ransomware-no-ransom-demand-yet/
2021-12: Conti and Karma actors attack healthcare provider at same time through ProxyShell exploits https://news.sophos.com/en-us/2022/02/28/conti-and-karma-actors-attack-healthcare-provider-at-same-time-through-proxyshell-exploits/
2021-12: Australian Electricity Provider ‘CS Energy’ Hit by Ransomware https://www.securityweek.com/australian-electricity-provider-cs-energy-hit-ransomware
2021-12: McMenamins breweries hit by a Conti ransomware attack https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/mcmenamins-breweries-hit-by-a-conti-ransomware-attack/
2021-12: Shutterfly services disrupted by Conti ransomware attack https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/shutterfly-services-disrupted-by-conti-ransomware-attack/
2021-12: RR Donnelly has confirmed that threat actors stole data in a December cyberattack, confirmed by BleepingComputer to be a Conti ransomware attack. https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/marketing-giant-rrd-confirms-data-theft-in-conti-ransomware-attack/
2021-12: Indonesia’s central bank confirms ransomware attack, Conti leaks data https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/indonesias-central-bank-confirms-ransomware-attack-conti-leaks-data/
2022-01: The Conti ransomware gang has been linked to an attack on Delta Electronics, a Taiwanese electronics manufacturing company and a major supplier of power components to companies like Apple and Tesla. https://therecord.media/conti-ransomware-hits-apple-tesla-supplier/
2022-01: KP Snacks giant hit by Conti ransomware, deliveries disrupted https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/kp-snacks-giant-hit-by-conti-ransomware-deliveries-disrupted/
2022-02: A Modern Ninja: Evasive Trickbot Attacks Customers of 60 High-Profile Companies https://research.checkpoint.com/2022/a-modern-ninja-evasive-trickbot-attacks-customers-of-60-high-profile-companies/
2022-02: The TrickBot Saga’s Finale Has Aired: Spinoff is Already in the Works https://www.advintel.io/post/the-trickbot-saga-s-finale-has-aired-but-a-spinoff-is-already-in-the-works
2022-02: Something strange is going on with Trickbot https://intel471.com/blog/trickbot-2022-emotet-bazar-loader
2022-02: Trickbot Group’s AnchorDNS Backdoor Upgrades to AnchorMail https://securityintelligence.com/posts/new-malware-trickbot-anchordns-backdoor-upgrades-anchormail/
2022-02: Panasonic: February ransomware attack only affected Canada branch https://therecord.media/panasonic-february-ransomware-attack-only-affected-canada-branch/
2022-03: Ransomware gang Conti has already bounced back from damage caused by chat leaks, experts say https://www.cyberscoop.com/ransomware-gang-conti-bounced-back/
2022-03: Shutterfly discloses data breach after Conti ransomware attack https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/shutterfly-discloses-data-breach-after-conti-ransomware-attack/
2022-03: Ransomware Gang Leaks Files Stolen From Industrial Giant Parker Hannifin https://www.securityweek.com/ransomware-gang-leaks-files-stolen-industrial-giant-parker-hannifin
2022-03: Snap-on discloses data breach claimed by Conti ransomware gang https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/snap-on-discloses-data-breach-claimed-by-conti-ransomware-gang/
2022-04: The Parker-Hannifin Corporation announced a data breach exposing employees’ personal information after the Conti ransomware gang began publishing allegedly stolen data last month. https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/engineering-firm-parker-discloses-data-breach-after-ransomware-attack/
2022-04: Wind turbine firm Nordex hit by Conti ransomware attack https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/wind-turbine-firm-nordex-hit-by-conti-ransomware-attack/
2022-04: Conti ransomware attack was aimed at destabilizing government transition, Costa Rican president says https://therecord.media/conti-ransomware-attack-was-aimed-at-destabilizing-government-transition-costa-rican-president-says/ https://therecord.media/ransomware-gang-threatens-to-overthrow-new-costa-rica-government-raises-demand-to-20-million/ https://therecord.media/son-of-conti/
2022-04: Unprecedented Shift: The Trickbot Group is Systematically Attacking Ukraine https://securityintelligence.com/posts/trickbot-group-systematically-attacking-ukraine/
2022-05: Conti ransomware claims to have hacked Peru MOF – Dirección General de Inteligencia (DIGIMIN) https://securityaffairs.co/wordpress/131093/cyber-crime/conti-ransomware-peru-direccion-general-de-inteligencia.html
2022-06: Conti ransomware group’s pulse stops, but did it fake its own death? https://blog.malwarebytes.com/ransomware/2022/06/conti-ransomware-disappears-did-it-fake-its-own-death/

Counter Operations

2015-11: Russia’s FSB quietly led an operation to take down the world’s most active cybercriminal groups, the operators of the banking malware Dyre https://www.forbes.com/sites/thomasbrewster/2016/02/08/russia-arrests-dyre-malware-masterminds/
2020-09: In recent weeks, the U.S. military has mounted an operation to temporarily disrupt what is described as the world’s largest botnet — one used also to drop ransomware, which officials say is one of the top threats to the 2020 election. https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/cyber-command-trickbot-disrupt/2020/10/09/19587aae-0a32-11eb-a166-dc429b380d10_story.html
2020-10: We disrupted Trickbot through a court order we obtained as well as technical action we executed in partnership with telecommunications providers around the world. We have now cut off key infrastructure so those operating Trickbot will no longer be able to initiate new infections or activate ransomware already dropped into computer systems. https://blogs.microsoft.com/on-the-issues/2020/10/12/trickbot-ransomware-cyberthreat-us-elections/
2021-06: Latvian National Charged for Alleged Role in Transnational Cybercrime Organization https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/latvian-national-charged-alleged-role-transnational-cybercrime-organization
2021-08: Disgruntled ransomware affiliate leaks the Conti gang’s technical manuals https://therecord.media/disgruntled-ransomware-affiliate-leaks-the-conti-gangs-technical-manuals/
2021-09: TrickBot gang member arrested after getting stuck in South Korea due to COVID-19 pandemic https://therecord.media/trickbot-gang-member-arrested-after-getting-stuck-in-south-korea-due-to-covid-19-pandemic/
2021-09: Irish police seize Conti domains used in HSE ransomware attack https://www.itpro.co.uk/security/ransomware/360786/irish-police-seize-conti-domains-used-in-hse-ransomware-attack
2021-10: TrickBot malware dev extradited to U.S. faces 60 years in prison https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/trickbot-malware-dev-extradited-to-us-faces-60-years-in-prison/
2022-02: Conti ransomware gang chats leaked by pro-Ukraine member https://therecord.media/conti-ransomware-gang-chats-leaked-by-pro-ukraine-member/ https://krebsonsecurity.com/2022/03/conti-ransomware-group-diaries-part-i-evasion/ https://krebsonsecurity.com/2022/03/conti-ransomware-group-diaries-part-ii-the-office/ https://krebsonsecurity.com/2022/03/conti-ransomware-group-diaries-part-iii-weaponry/ https://krebsonsecurity.com/2022/03/conti-ransomware-group-diaries-part-iv-cryptocrime/
2022-03: Exposing initial access broker with ties to Conti https://blog.google/threat-analysis-group/exposing-initial-access-broker-ties-conti/
2022-03: More Conti ransomware source code leaked on Twitter out of revenge https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/more-conti-ransomware-source-code-leaked-on-twitter-out-of-revenge/
2022-05: Reward Offers for Information to Bring Conti Ransomware Variant Co-Conspirators to Justice https://www.state.gov/reward-offers-for-information-to-bring-conti-ransomware-variant-co-conspirators-to-justice/
2023-02: Russian man pleads guilty to laundering Ryuk ransomware money https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/russian-man-pleads-guilty-to-laundering-ryuk-ransomware-money/
2023-09: United States and United Kingdom Sanction Additional Members of the Russia-Based Trickbot Cybercrime Gang https://home.treasury.gov/news/press-releases/jy1714
2023-12: TrickBot malware dev pleads guilty, faces 35 years in prison https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/trickbot-malware-dev-pleads-guilty-faces-35-years-in-prison/ https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/russian-trickbot-malware-dev-sentenced-to-64-months-in-prison/
2025-05: Germany doxxes Conti ransomware and TrickBot ring leader https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/germany-doxxes-conti-ransomware-and-trickbot-ring-leader/

Information

Mitre Attack

https://attack.mitre.org/groups/G0102/

Other Information

Uuid

480940e0-47b0-4295-9067-c2500ccfdaec

Last Card Change

2025-06-28

Threat Intelligence Garden

Explorer

Wizard Spider, Gold Blackburn

Wizard Spider, Gold Blackburn

Description

Names

Country

Motivation

First Seen

Observed Sectors

Observed Countries

Tools

Operations

Counter Operations

Information

Mitre Attack

Other Information

Uuid

Last Card Change

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