Description Summary
LockBit 3.0, also called LockBit Black, was released in June 2022 as a major rewrite of LockBit 2.0. It introduced the first ransomware bug-bounty program, anti-analysis improvements (BlackMatter-derived encryption), and a reworked leak site. The LockBit 3.0 builder was leaked in September 2022 and has since been used as the basis for many new ransomware families (LockBit Green, BlackMatter-derivatives, DragonForce).
Threat Actor
LockBit operators; numerous third-party reuses since the builder leak.
Technical Indicators
Encryption Extension
.HLJkNskOq (random 9-char string)
Encryption Algorithm
AES + RSA-2048 (BlackMatter-derived encryption module)
Ransom Note Name
<random>.README.txt
Targeted Industries
Manufacturing, Professional services, Healthcare, Government
First Seen
June 2022
Last Seen
Active (post-Operation Cronos)
Geographical Location
Global
MITRE ATT&CK Matrix
| Tactic | TTP | Technique Name |
|---|---|---|
| Initial Access x 3 | T1566 | Phishing |
| T1190 | Exploit Public-Facing Application | |
| T1078 | Valid Accounts | |
| Execution x 1 | T1059 | Command and Scripting Interpreter |
| Execution Persistence x 1 | T1053 | Scheduled Task/Job |
| Defense Evasion x 2 | T1562.001 | Disable or Modify Tools |
| T1070.004 | File Deletion | |
| Discovery x 2 | T1083 | File and Directory Discovery |
| T1082 | System Information Discovery | |
| Lateral Movement x 2 | T1021.001 | Remote Services: RDP |
| T1021.002 | SMB/Windows Admin Shares | |
| Exfiltration x 2 | T1041 | Exfiltration Over C2 Channel |
| T1567.002 | Exfiltration to Cloud Storage | |
| Impact x 3 | T1486 | Data Encrypted for Impact |
| T1490 | Inhibit System Recovery | |
| T1489 | Service Stop |