Cyber gang BlackCat is said to have defrauded its own affiliates after the group went dark shortly after wreaking havoc on the US healthcare system.
Addresses associated with the ransomware group BlackCat, also known as ALPHV and Noberus, received approximately $22 million worth of Bitcoin on March 1 following a late-February attack on United Healthcare’s Change Healthcare, a technology company that provides services to hospitals and clinics. BTC) was received. .
However, the twist came two days later when the address received over 1,000 BTC and the wallet was immediately emptied. Subsequently, an individual named “notchy,” claiming to be an affiliate of BlackCat, claimed in a post on a cybercrime underground forum that the gang had defrauded its affiliates by not paying them their share of the price for executing the attack. This is a copy of the message shared on X by Dmitry Smilyanets, Director of Product Management at Recorded Future.
The affiliate also said the attack on Change Healthcare’s network gave it access to data from numerous other healthcare companies that partner with the healthcare IT provider. In a statement to Wired, Smilyanets confirmed that the affiliate “still holds this data and is upset that we have not received this money.”
Recorded Future and blockchain analytics firm TRM Labs have both reportedly identified a Bitcoin address that received nearly $100 million in Bitcoin as being linked to the BlackCat hackers. According to MistTrack, all BTC allegedly linked to illegal activity was sent to eight different addresses and remains unspent until now.
Founded in late 2021, BlackCat operated a ransomware-as-a-service model, providing malware to affiliates and taking a cut of the ransom. The gang’s website, which targeted numerous companies around the world, including Reddit, was shut down by the FBI in December 2023, resulting in the seizure of several websites and the release of decryption tools.
However, in February 2024, the U.S. State Department announced that it would award up to $10 million for information that helps identify or locate individuals who held key leadership positions within the BlackCat group, and up to $5 million for information leading to the capture or apprehension of individuals who held key leadership positions within the BlackCat group. Announced compensation offer. Conviction of all involved in the group.