Threat intelligence firm Mandiant released findings about a new Russian based hacking group dubbed FIN12, which is targeting the health care industry and companies with revenue over $300 million. Mandiant said that FIN12 is “very aggressive and brazen in who they target.”

According to Mandiant, FIN12 uses different hacking techniques and tools to infiltrate targets, stays in the company’s system for only two days, does not exfiltrate data or use double extortion techniques, and uses Ryuk malware. FIN12 is financially motivated and targets companies who have critical systems that can’t be down for long periods of time and are relying on companies to pay quickly to get their system back up quickly, almost as a cost of doing business.

This is an unfortunate reality that many companies are facing: pay to get back up and running and resume business operations, or fight the hackers and maybe lose more money than the price of the ransom? With these business decisions, it is understandable why combatting ransomware attacks is so difficult when you are right in the middle of one.

Photo of Linn Foster Freedman Linn Foster Freedman

Linn Freedman practices in data privacy and security law, cybersecurity, and complex litigation. She is a member of the Business Litigation Group and the Financial Services Cyber-Compliance Team, and chairs the firm’s Data Privacy and Security and Artificial Intelligence Teams. Linn focuses her…

Linn Freedman practices in data privacy and security law, cybersecurity, and complex litigation. She is a member of the Business Litigation Group and the Financial Services Cyber-Compliance Team, and chairs the firm’s Data Privacy and Security and Artificial Intelligence Teams. Linn focuses her practice on compliance with all state and federal privacy and security laws and regulations. She counsels a range of public and private clients from industries such as construction, education, health care, insurance, manufacturing, real estate, utilities and critical infrastructure, marine and charitable organizations, on state and federal data privacy and security investigations, as well as emergency data breach response and mitigation. Linn is an Adjunct Professor of the Practice of Cybersecurity at Brown University and an Adjunct Professor of Law at Roger Williams University School of Law.  Prior to joining the firm, Linn served as assistant attorney general and deputy chief of the Civil Division of the Attorney General’s Office for the State of Rhode Island. She earned her J.D. from Loyola University School of Law and her B.A., with honors, in American Studies from Newcomb College of Tulane University. She is admitted to practice law in Massachusetts and Rhode Island. Read her full rc.com bio here.