• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

My TechDecisions

  • Best of Tech Decisions
  • Topics
    • Video
    • Audio
    • Mobility
    • Unified Communications
    • IT Infrastructure
    • Network Security
    • Physical Security
    • Facility
    • Compliance
  • RFP Resources
  • Resources
  • Podcasts
  • Project of the Week
  • About Us
    SEARCH
IT Infrastructure, Network Security

What DarkSides’ Rebranding Means for IT

Cyber experts believe cyber criminal gang, DarkSide has rebranded causing what some call a giant "game of whack-a-mole."

August 10, 2021 Alyssa Borelli Leave a Comment

China, Hacking, Microsoft, Routers, Volt Typhoon
Oz/stock.adobe.com

There’s a brewing consensus among cyber security professionals that the infamous DarkSide cybercriminals gang responsible for the Colonial Pipeline attack in May, may have rebranded as a new group called Black Matter.

Analyst see similarities between DarkSide and Black Matter when it comes to crypto currency wallets, strains of malware, and similarities in the keys it gives victims for decryption, according to Wall Street Journal cybersecurity reporter David Uberti.

Blockchian analyst can easily watch money move from one crypto currency address to another and map out patterns believed to be ransomware payments, especially companies that report it.

“The White House has been public about how it wants to bolster the way it tracks financial transactions to ransomware groups. And that’s one of the ways in which they can pinpoint where the problem areas are and the scope of the problem,” said Uberti, in a WSJ podcast.

Read: Critical U.S. Pipeline Hit With Ransomware

Cybersecurity experts are also carefully analyzing the tools the hackers used to deploy the ransomware inside companies like the Colonial Pipeline, by observing the code more closely. Similarities are present in DarkSides’s rebranding efforts in how the malware descriptors are written.

Uberti also noted there’s been a lot of turnovers within these hacking groups, many of which are specialist in breaking into companies and deploying the ransomware. “There’s an emerging and rotating cast of characters with all of these groups, so at the very least, there’s some overlap between some of these hacking groups we’re seeing,” says Uberti, in a WSJ podcast.

Cybersecurity firm Recorded Future published an interview with someone claiming to be part of Black Matter, who revealed they received lessons from DarkSide. One of the lessons learned from DarkSide was not to attack critical infrastructure for fear of action by the U.S. government. They also noted they would not attack the healthcare sector, which leaves many businesses that don’t classify within those two sectors vulnerable.

“A lot of people within the cyber world have compared this to a game of whack-a-mole, that if you take specific actions against the group, if we are to basically hack back and take them offline, they will simply emerge in some other way as some other form under some other name,” says Uberti, in a WSJ podcast.

If you enjoyed this article and want to receive more valuable industry content like this, click here to sign up for our digital newsletters!

Tagged With: Colonial Pipeline, Cyber Attacks, DarkSide

Related Content:

  • Cloud, SASE, Aryaka How the Cloud is Redefining Media Production and…
  • Software License Spending, SaaS, cloud apps Your Guide to Choosing the Best Cloud Security…
  • IT Budget 2025 Budgeting Tips for IT Pros/CIOs in 2025
  • A close-up of a technician’s hands typing and navigating through troubleshooting steps on a computer in a well-lit office. , natural light, soft shadows, with copy space Five Ways to Reduce Desktop Support Troubleshooting Time

Free downloadable guide you may like:

  • Practical Design Guide for Office SpacesPractical Design Guide for Office Spaces

    Recent Gartner research shows that workers prefer to return to the office for in-person meetings for relevant milestones, as well as for face-to-face time with co-workers. When designing the office spaces — and meeting spaces in particular — enabling that connection between co-workers is crucial. But introducing the right collaboration technology in meeting spaces can […]

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Latest Downloads

Practical Design Guide for Office Spaces
Practical Design Guide for Office Spaces

Recent Gartner research shows that workers prefer to return to the office for in-person meetings for relevant milestones, as well as for face-to-fa...

New Camera Can Transform Your Live Production Workflow
New Camera System Can Transform Your Live Production Workflow

Sony's HXC-FZ90 studio camera system combines flexibility and exceptional image quality with entry-level pricing.

Creating Great User Experience and Ultimate Flexibility with Clickshare

Working and collaborating in any office environment today should be meaningful, as workers today go to office for very specific reasons. When desig...

View All Downloads

Would you like your latest project featured on TechDecisions as Project of the Week?

Apply Today!

More from Our Sister Publications

Get the latest news about AV integrators and Security installers from our sister publications:

Commercial IntegratorSecurity Sales

AV-iQ

Footer

TechDecisions

  • Home
  • Welcome to TechDecisions
  • Contact Us
  • Comment Guidelines
  • RSS Feeds
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Linkedin

Free Technology Guides

FREE Downloadable resources from TechDecisions provide timely insight into the issues that IT, A/V, and Security end-users, managers, and decision makers are facing in commercial, corporate, education, institutional, and other vertical markets

View all Guides
TD Project of the Week

Get your latest project featured on TechDecisions Project of the Week. Submit your work once and it will be eligible for all upcoming weeks.

Enter Today!
Emerald Logo
ABOUTCAREERSAUTHORIZED SERVICE PROVIDERSYour Privacy ChoicesTERMS OF USEPRIVACY POLICY

© 2025 Emerald X, LLC. All rights reserved.