The Yamaha Corporation of America (YCA), a prominent subsidiary of Yamaha Corporation, Japan, has allegedly become the latest victim of a cyber attack orchestrated by the notorious BlackByte ransomware group.
The Cyber Express has requested the Yamaha Corporation of America for a confirmation of the incident. We have yet to receive a reply from the company at the time of publishing this report.
Yamaha Corporation, YCA’s parent company, is a Japanese multinational corporation and conglomerate with a very wide range of products and services.
Yamaha Corporation of America is known best for its extensive range of high-quality musical instruments, sound reinforcement systems, commercial installations, and home entertainment products.
The company is also a key player in the Bluetooth speaker market, which is valued at $5,492 million in 2022 and projected to reach $6,587 million by 2028, growing at a CAGR of 3.7%.
Yamaha Corporation of America, BlackByte’s latest
Yamaha Corporation of America is the latest in the list of BlackByte ransomware gang.
The Russian ransomware group gained notoriety for its targeted attacks on corporations worldwide since July 2021.
This cybercriminal organization follows a ransomware-as-a-service (RaaS) model, leveraging double-extortion tactics to coerce victims into paying a hefty ransom.
The group’s activities had already come under the radar of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the US Secret Service (USS), prompting a joint advisory cautioning against BlackByte.
With over 100 documented attacks, BlackByte has targeted approximately 30 countries, with the United States being the most heavily affected, accounting for nearly half of the attacks.
Among the industries falling prey to BlackByte’s malicious campaigns are manufacturing, educational services, healthcare, and social assistance.
“This is in correlation with the ransomware trend in general. Ransomware operators target critical and low-security budget industries to ensure the data is vital enough for a hefty payment,” said a report by SOCRadar.
BlackByte ransomware group: Mode of operation
The BlackByte ransomware operation follows a distinct pattern when executing its attacks. Upon encrypting files, the malicious executable leaves a ransom note in all affected directories.
This note contains a link to a .onion website, where victims can find instructions on how to pay the ransom and obtain a decryption key.
“Once in, actors deploy tools to move laterally across the network and escalate privileges before exfiltrating and encrypting files,” said the FBI-CISA joint advisory.
“In some instances, BlackByte ransomware actors have only partially encrypted files. In cases where decryption is not possible, some data recovery can occur.“
Initially, BlackByte’s activities were relatively subdued compared to other ransomware operations. The group employed a consistent encryption key across various campaigns, which allowed researchers to develop decrypters to assist victims.
However, the group modified their encryption method in later variants, transitioning from C# to GoLang around February 2022.
This shift reflects a growing trend among ransomware groups, who are exploring less mainstream programming languages like GoLang and Rust to impede static analysis and evade traditional security measures.
Media Disclaimer: This report is based on internal and external research obtained through various means. The information provided is for reference purposes only, and users bear full responsibility for their reliance on it. The Cyber Express assumes no liability for the accuracy or consequences of using this information.