DeadLock is a financially motivated ransomware group that emerged in mid-July 2025. The group employs double extortion tactics, demanding ransom payments in cryptocurrencies while threatening to sell stolen data on underground markets. They utilize innovative techniques, such as blockchain smart contracts, to manage their command-and-control infrastructure, enhancing their evasion capabilities.
Key insights
•Utilizes innovative Polygon blockchain smart contracts to manage C2 proxy server addresses.
•Employs double extortion tactics, threatening to sell exfiltrated data instead of maintaining a public leak site.
•Initial access typically involves exploiting vulnerabilities like CVE-2024-51324 in Baidu Antivirus.
•Ransomware is written in C++ and uses a custom stream cipher with time-based cryptographic keys.
•Targets multiple sectors including Real Estate, Health Care, and Manufacturing.
•Engages in defense evasion techniques such as process hollowing and PowerShell script executions.
•Communication with victims is facilitated through Session messenger using an HTML-based interface.