Millions of Messages Distribute LockBit Black Ransomware


Beginning April 24, 2024 and continuing daily for about a week, Proofpoint observed high-volume campaigns with millions of messages facilitated by the Phorpiex botnet and delivering LockBit Black ransomware.

This is the first time Proofpoint researchers have observed samples of LockBit Black ransomware (aka LockBit 3.0) being delivered via Phorpiex in such high volumes. The LockBit Black sample from this campaign was likely built from the LockBit builder that was leaked during the summer of 2023. Messages were from “Jenny Green” with the email address of Jenny @gsd[.]com. The emails contained an attached ZIP file with an executable (.exe). This executable was observed downloading the LockBit Black payload from Phorpiex botnet infrastructure.

Read more…
Source: Proofpoint


Sign up for our Newsletter


Related:

  • Minnesota: St. Paul cyber attack sparks reflections, calls to action

    July 31, 2025

    The recent cyber attack in St. Paul has gained pretty much everyone’s attention in the government technology space. It didn’t hurt that Gov. Tim Walz deployed 13 members of the Minnesota National Guard’s Cyber Protection Unit to help fix the damage — reportedly the first time that unit has deployed inside the state in its eight ...

  • Cobalt Strike Beacon delivered via GitHub and social media

    July 30, 2025

    n the latter half of 2024, the Russian IT industry, alongside a number of entities in other countries, experienced a notable cyberattack. The attackers employed a range of malicious techniques to trick security systems and remain undetected. To bypass detection, they delivered information about their payload via profiles on both Russian and international social media platforms, ...

  • Proactive Email Security: The Power of AI

    July 24, 2025

    Cybercriminals are using AI to launch faster, more targeted attacks—impersonating executives, bypassing filters with QR phishing or AI-driven deception techniques, and exploiting human error to cause financial and reputational damage. Traditional defenses can’t keep up. This report explores how AI-powered email security can proactively defend against today’s most pressing threats—like business email compromise (BEC), QR phishing ...

  • Phish and Chips: China-Aligned Espionage Actors Ramp Up Taiwan Semiconductor Industry Targeting

    July 16, 2025

    Analyst note: Proofpoint uses the UNK_ designator to define clusters of activity that are still developing and have not been observed for long enough to receive a numerical TA designation. China-aligned threat actors have routinely targeted the semiconductor industry for many years. This activity likely aligns with China’s internal strategic economic priorities, which have increasingly emphasized ...

  • Batavia spyware steals data from Russian organizations

    July 7, 2025

    Since early March 2025, our systems have recorded an increase in detections of similar files with names like договор-2025-5.vbe, приложение.vbe, and dogovor.vbe (translation: contract, attachment) among employees at various Russian organizations. The targeted attack begins with bait emails containing malicious links, sent under the pretext of signing a contract. The campaign began in July 2024 and ...

  • What’s in an ASP? Creative Phishing Attack on Prominent Academics and Critics of Russia

    June 18, 2025

    In cooperation with external partners, Google Threat Intelligence Group (GTIG) observed a Russia state-sponsored cyber threat actor impersonating the U.S. Department of State. From at least April through early June 2025, this actor targeted prominent academics and critics of Russia, often using extensive rapport building and tailored lures to convince the target to set up application ...