What’s the SafePay ransomware?
SafePay is a comparatively new ransomware risk that was first noticed round September 2024. Like different ransomware, SafePay encrypts victims’ information in order that they can’t be accessed, after which calls for the fee of a cryptocurrency ransom for his or her restoration. As a part of a “double extortion” tactic, the hackers behind SafePay additionally steal information from affected organisations and threaten to publish it on their darkish internet leak website if a ransom isn’t paid.
What makes SafePay uncommon?
Most trendy ransomware gangs function a Ransomware-as-a-Service (RaaS) mannequin, the place associates are allowed to deploy the ransomware in return for a share of the proceeds they handle to extort. Nevertheless, SafePay doesn’t function like this. As an alternative, it seems to not provide itself to associates, however as an alternative the identical group develops and deploys the ransomware themselves slightly than relying upon others.
Certainly, a banner on SafePay’s darkish internet leak website says:
SAFEPAY RANSOMWARE HAS NEVER PROVIDED AND DOES NOT PROVIDE THE RAAS
Why would they not function as a ransomware-as-a-service mannequin? Aren’t they turning their again on loads of money?
Whereas it’s true that SafePay could also be closing the door on affiliate earnings, it does provide the advantage of higher operational safety and tighter management of how its ransomware is used.
Attention-grabbing. So, why is SafePay within the information?
A just lately revealed risk report launched by safety consultants at NCC Group revealed that SafePay was at the moment essentially the most lively ransomware group. Within the month of Could 2025 alone, 70 ransomware assaults have been linked to Safepay, accounting for 18% of the full.
In a sign of the ransomware group’s elevated exercise, this was the primary time that SafePay had appeared in NCC Group’s prime 10 listing of risk actors.
What has made SafePay so profitable so rapidly?
The reply to that query isn’t clear, however it’s suspected that SafePay could also be intently associated to different infamous ransomware teams, together with LockBit, BlackCat, and INC Ransomware.
In different phrases, the oldsters behind SafePay will not be new to the scene?
Appropriate. If the hyperlinks to different infamous ransomware gangs are discovered to be true, it could imply that these are cybercriminals who’re skilled in extorting cash out of their victims, and have the sources to make a major affect.
Which firms have been hit by SafePay?
UK telematics enterprise Microlise, which affords car monitoring companies to the likes of DHL and Serco, revealed that it had been hit by ransomware in October 2024, and was one among SafePay’s first publicised victims after the theft of 1.2TB of knowledge. Different victims have included a North Carolina anatomic pathology lab, which was breached in January 2025 in an assault that noticed the theft of info associated to over 200,000 sufferers, together with names, birthdates, addresses, medical health insurance particulars, and medical therapy information.
Is not any-one secure from being hit by SafePay ransomware?
Properly, truly, sure, some individuals are. The SafePay ransomware is programmed to examine the language settings of the pc it’s working on, and if it spots the system is working any of the next languages, it is going to instantly cease working with out inflicting any injury: If the system language matches any specified languages, the malware will instantly terminate. An entire listing of languages checked could be seen under:
- Armenian
- Azerbaijani (Cyrillic)
- Belarusian
- Georgian
- Kazakh
- Russian
- Ukrainian
Why would the ransomware need to try this?
Two instantly causes soar to thoughts. One is, for example, that the ransomware doesn’t need to depend – say – Russian companies amongst its unintended victims, in concern that native legislation enforcement businesses may come after it.
Is sensible. What different purpose might there be?
Properly, possibly the ransomware authors’ themselves run computer systems that are configured to make use of these languages. They might hardly need to develop into unintended victims of SafePay themselves, would they?
I suppose not. So, how can my enterprise defend itself from the SafePay ransomware? I do not assume it could be sensible to alter the language settings of all our PCs to Russian.
SafePay is thought for breaking into organisations through the use of stolen VPN or RDP credentials. It has not been reported to have used phishing strategies regularly seen in lots of different ransomware assaults. Subsequently, organisations that fear they is perhaps focused could be smart to implement multi-factor authentication on all distant entry factors, disable unused RDP or VPN entry totally, and use IP allowlists or geofencing the place doable. As well as, we suggest all firms observe our normal recommendation for defending towards ransomware assaults, which incorporates suggestions reminiscent of:
- Making safe off-site backups.
- Operating up-to-date safety options and making certain that your computer systems are protected with the newest safety patches towards vulnerabilities.
- Utilizing hard-to-crack distinctive passwords to guard delicate information and accounts, in addition to enabling multi-factor authentication.
- Encrypting delicate information wherever doable.
- Decreasing the assault floor by disabling performance that your organization doesn’t want.
- Educating and informing workers in regards to the dangers and strategies utilized by cybercriminals to launch assaults and steal information.
Editor’s Be aware: The opinions expressed on this and different visitor creator articles are solely these of the contributor and don’t essentially replicate these of Fortra.
