WIRED Profile picture
Feb 2 10 tweets 3 min read
WIRED has seen hundreds of internal messages sent between members of Trickbot, the notorious Russian ransomware gang. The exchanges detail the inner workings of the hacking group that targeted over 400 US hospitals. wired.trib.al/OglzYdH 🎨: Jacqui VanLiew/Getty 1/10
Members of Trickbot privately gloated over what easy targets hospitals and health care providers make.
Their aim: to force hospitals busy responding to the surging Covid-19 pandemic to quickly pay ransoms.
🎨: Jacqui VanLiew/Getty 2/10
Reporting by @mattburgess1 reveals key members’ aliases and shows the ruthless attitude held by members of this criminal gang that consists of 100+ disciples. But a core team of around half a dozen criminals rule Trickbot’s operations. 🎨: Jacqui VanLiew/Getty 3/10
The group evolved from the banking trojan Dyre around the end of 2015 and has grown to become an all-purpose hacking toolkit. Each senior member has their own speciality, like managing teams of coders or heading up ransomware deployments. 4/10
And they’re expanding. Chat logs from 2020 describe the group's plans to grow in the coming weeks. “There will be 6 offices for sure and 50-80 people by the end of September.” 5/10
Coders and developers recruited by Trickbot are drawn in from job postings on dark web forums but also on open web Russian-language freelancer websites. 6/10
While many of the ads are hiding in plain sight, they don’t explicitly say successful applicants will be working for one of the world’s most ruthless cybercriminal groups. 7/10
Despite the arrests and wider ransomware crackdowns in Russia, the Trickbot group doesn't seem to be going into hiding anytime soon. 8/10
Read more of WIRED's exclusive reporting here: wired.trib.al/OglzYdH 9/10
Get your first year of WIRED for just $5 and get unlimited access to our longform features, buying guides, and tech news. wired.trib.al/y56Mi3d 10/10

• • •

Missing some Tweet in this thread? You can try to force a refresh
 

Keep Current with WIRED

WIRED Profile picture

Stay in touch and get notified when new unrolls are available from this author!

Read all threads

This Thread may be Removed Anytime!

PDF

Twitter may remove this content at anytime! Save it as PDF for later use!

Try unrolling a thread yourself!

how to unroll video
  1. Follow @ThreadReaderApp to mention us!

  2. From a Twitter thread mention us with a keyword "unroll"
@threadreaderapp unroll

Practice here first or read more on our help page!

More from @WIRED

Feb 3
The mouse and trackpad are pretty fundamental to how we use our computers, but what if you're unable to use them in the usual way? Knowing the right shortcuts can save you time and the unnecessary headache. wired.trib.al/kdwdOJe 1/8
In Windows, the keyboard shortcuts you can use instead of a mouse or trackpad start simple and can get quite advanced. There's the Win button to open the Start menu, the Alt+Tab shortcut to switch between your open applications, and Alt+F4 to close down programs. 2/8
To control the behavior and position of open application windows, Win+Up maximizes them and Win+Down minimizes them. You can also tap Win+Left or Win+Right to snap the current window to the left or right of the screen. 3/8
Read 8 tweets
Jan 29
Skiing is old—people have been traversing snowy ground on planks of wood for millennia. But while skiing is nothing new, that doesn’t mean your kit has to follow suit. Here's our guide to hitting the slopes in style. wired.trib.al/6YapJpe 📸: Salomon Via @WiredUK 1/12
Picture Organic BP18 Backpack
Picture Organic has created the ideal daypack with loads of practical features including a hydration system, ice axe holder, snowboard and ski carrying straps, all without being too bulky. wired.trib.al/6YapJpe 📸: Picture Organic 2/12
Salomon QST Blank
A 112mm-wide ski built to love soft snow, the QST Blank features an innovative flax-based fibre called C/FX for added power and quick turns. wired.trib.al/6YapJpe 📸: Salomon 3/12
Read 12 tweets
Jan 28
Depending on where you live in the US, advice and paths to a Covid-19 booster are going to differ. So we've put together a guide that should give you an accurate overview of how to get the jab. wired.trib.al/0lfmrPH 1/8
All American adults are able to sign up for a booster appointment. At least five months must have elapsed since your primary Pfizer-BioNTech or your Moderna series, and at least two months after your Johnson & Johnson. 2/8
You can check out Vaccines.gov and the CDC to locate available vaccines near you. You can also follow its Twitter account for updates. 3/8
Read 8 tweets
Jan 21
Tired of carrying around an array of dongles because your laptop is a port desert? Fortunately, there is a better way to ensure you can plug everything in. Hello, USB hubs and docks. Here are some of WIRED’s favorites. wired.trib.al/uzsiZn1 1/6
Don't have a USB-C port in your laptop? This AmazonBasics hub will do the trick, even if it's as barebones as hubs can get. It plugs into one USB-A port and gives you four more, supporting up to USB 3.0 speeds. So, go on and be basic. wired.trib.al/uzsiZn1 📸: Amazon 2/6
This Anker USB hub is a versatile little thing that lets you plug in peripherals to your laptop, transfer data between your devices, and hook up your laptop to a projector or monitor at a moment's notice. And it won’t break the bank. wired.trib.al/uzsiZn1 📸: Anker 3/6
Read 6 tweets
Jan 15
Kazakhstan had everything a Bitcoin miner could ask for: a cold climate, legions of old warehouses and factories, and dirt cheap energy. Then came the political turmoil and power cuts. wired.trib.al/i7IYR8h 1/9
Chaos engulfed Kazakhstan as protests over a spike in fuel prices resulted in police repression and an internet shutdown. Russian-led troops acting under the orders of the CSTO, a military alliance of post-Soviet states, were also deployed to the country. 2/9
The shutdown’s impact on crypto mining was evident—the Bitcoin network lost 12 percent of its hashrate. And the shutdown alone might have cost Kazakh miners around $20 million. 3/9
Read 9 tweets
Jan 14
November 26, 2018, the Jaws Challenge took place off the north coast of Maui as 70-foot waves rolled in off the Pacific Ocean that morning. Most of the competitors retreated ashore to wait out the dangerous conditions, but not Maui local, Kai Lenny. wired.trib.al/WdQu8UN 1/10
That day on Maui, Lenny traded his 10-foot paddle-in board for a tow-board. Then he had a Jet Ski pull him into tsunami-sized walls of water. With a helicopter overhead & contest video cameras live streaming, Lenny seized the spotlight for the next four hours. 📸: Ryan Young 2/10 Image
The thing is, none of Lenny’s versatility and style served him when he reached the final heat of the Jaws Challenge when the contest resumed. He found himself facing off against a childhood rival from Maui named Billy Kemper. 3/10
Read 10 tweets

Did Thread Reader help you today?

Support us! We are indie developers!


This site is made by just two indie developers on a laptop doing marketing, support and development! Read more about the story.

Become a Premium Member ($3/month or $30/year) and get exclusive features!

Become Premium

Don't want to be a Premium member but still want to support us?

Make a small donation by buying us coffee ($5) or help with server cost ($10)

Donate via Paypal

Or Donate anonymously using crypto!

Ethereum

0xfe58350B80634f60Fa6Dc149a72b4DFbc17D341E copy

Bitcoin

3ATGMxNzCUFzxpMCHL5sWSt4DVtS8UqXpi copy

Thank you for your support!

:(