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Date of Incident: 04 February, 2025

VPN Compromise, Credential Abuse, and Data Exfiltration

The incident began with a compromised employee account that used a weak and easily guessable password. The attacker exploited this vulnerability using an automated brute-force tool to guess credentials and gain remote access via the company’s Virtual Private Network (VPN).

Once inside the network, the attacker moved laterally using Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP), a remote access tool commonly used by IT teams. During this stage, they searched for and accessed confidential business data, including:

• Financial records
  
• Human Resources information
  
• Tenant’s details and internal documents

They transferred these files to two separate cloud storage accounts—completing a full data exfiltration operation. Once the data was stolen, the attacker deployed ransomware, encrypting the company’s files and rendering key systems inaccessible. This encryption phase was completed before Blackpanda was engaged.

“Attackers got in through a single weak password and were able to steal sensitive data before we even knew they were there.”

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ODIR in Action: Forensics That Reversed the Damage

The victim was not an IR-1 subscriber at the time. However, Blackpanda’s On-Demand Incident Response (ODIR) service was activated immediately to deliver full-spectrum forensic support:

• Identified the initial access vector via compromised VPN login
  
• Mapped the attacker’s lateral movement
  
• Determined the full scope of exfiltrated data
  
• Identified critical mistakes in the attacker’s execution that allowed Blackpanda to access and recover stolen data
  
• Leveraged attacker infrastructure to access a cloud storage platform where stolen files were held allowing Blackpanda to confirm the breach scope and delete exposed data

Despite these efforts, a second cloud storage destination used by the attacker remained inaccessible. The attacker subsequently listed the company as a victim on the INC Ransomware website, publicly leaking screenshots of stolen files.

This public shaming tactic was intended to pressure the company into paying the ransom by damaging their reputation and creating stakeholder panic.

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No Ransom Paid. Strategic Recovery Chosen.

The company chose not to pay the ransom. 

Blackpanda had already recovered a large portion of the stolen files, and internal operations were restorable through backups. Since the attacker’s leverage was significantly reduced, the company opted to focus on recovery and long-term resilience instead of rewarding criminal activity.

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This hard-earned lesson led the company to subscribe to Blackpanda’s IR-1 recognizing that proactive coverage, faster activation, and built-in first responders’ expert capabilities were essential to protecting their business moving forward.

Post-Incident Remediation

Blackpanda provided the Victim with a clear roadmap to strengthen defenses against similar attacks:

• Critical Actions:‍
  
  • Enforce strong password policies across all accounts
  • Implement multi-factor authentication (MFA) for VPN and remote access
  • Restrict VPN and RDP access to trusted sources only

• Medium/High Priority:‍
  
  • Improve real-time monitoring to detect suspicious logins
  • Conduct periodic password hygiene audits
  • Review cloud access logs and revoke unused credentials
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• Long-Term Risk Reduction:‍
  
  • Strengthen network segmentation to limit lateral movement
  • Perform regular cybersecurity assessments
  • Review the business needs and simplify the IT infrastructure to eliminate cyber security risks
  • Train employees on credential security and phishing resilience

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For IR-1 Customers 

As a reminder, you enjoy the peace of mind of being a Blackpanda IR-1 customer as well. Rest well knowing that the best cyber incident responders in Asia are standing by 24/7 to respond at a moment’s notice when the worst occurs and the attackers are able to make it past even the most well-prepared cyber and IT defenses. 

As a Lloyd’s of London-backed insurance underwriting entity, Blackpanda uniquely has productized digital forensics and incident response services into an assurance product delivered via SaaS subscription, complimentary Attack Surface Management technology, and discounted and optimized Blackpanda comprehensive cyber insurance offerings to provide the most cost-effective solution in the event of cyber emergencies. 

Reach out via your IR-1 platform access to view your ASM results. To gain an automated price quote on cyber insurance from us, email us at customercare@blackpanda.com and we will promptly get back to you.

Thank you for your continued trust in having Blackpanda ensure you have prompt access to cyber emergency response when the worst happens.

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