Cloak Ransomware Group Strikes Again: Corporate Target Added to Victim List

In a new wave of cybercriminal activity tracked across the dark web, the notorious ransomware group “Cloak” has claimed another victim. According to data gathered by the ThreatMon Threat Intelligence team, the group has listed an undisclosed company—referred to by the partial domain `http://li.com`—as its latest target. The breach was publicly noted on May 6, 2025, and adds to a growing roster of attacks orchestrated by Cloak in recent months.

As ransomware continues to evolve both in technique and scale, visibility into these campaigns becomes increasingly vital for organizations of all sizes. ThreatMon’s intelligence operations, specializing in Indicators of Compromise (IOCs) and Command-and-Control (C2) detection, bring this new Cloak campaign into sharper focus, offering a brief yet alarming glimpse into an ongoing cyber threat landscape.

the Incident

Ransomware Group Involved: Cloak

Victim: A redacted organization with a domain resembling li.com

Reported by: ThreatMon Threat Intelligence via Twitter/X

Time of Disclosure: May 6, 2025, at 11:41:58 UTC+3

Detection Channel: Dark Web surveillance

Impact: Unknown; presumed data breach and encryption

Threat Intelligence Platform: Developed by @MonThreat

The ThreatMon platform, integrated with IOC and C2 tracking features, noted the event as part of its routine monitoring of dark web activity. While the actual identity of the company remains censored, the use of partial domain names typically signals the early stages of public pressure from the attackers. This can often lead to a full release of sensitive information if ransom demands are unmet.

The tweet that brought attention to the breach has already drawn moderate visibility, with engagement rising as cybersecurity analysts begin to dissect the implications. While no official statement has been made by the affected entity, the listing alone on a ransomware site often implies serious compromise—possibly involving stolen credentials, customer data, or encrypted internal systems.

Ransomware gangs such as Cloak often operate within closed dark web forums and use leak sites to coerce payment by publicly naming and shaming their victims. Their strategy involves leveraging the reputational and financial risks associated with non-payment. As the volume of these attacks grows, the sophistication of monitoring tools like ThreatMon becomes essential in proactive cybersecurity defense.

What Undercode Say:

The Cloak ransomware group’s resurgence represents a disturbing pattern in today’s threat landscape: an increasing reliance on high-visibility extortion tactics and the targeting of mid-sized corporations. These campaigns are typically not random; they often begin with thorough reconnaissance, phishing vectors, and vulnerability scans against exposed infrastructure.

From what can be inferred about this campaign:

Reconnaissance:

Timing: The timing of the post suggests the attackers have completed the encryption phase and are entering the ransom negotiation or coercion stage.
Domain Redaction: The asterisks indicate either legal caution from ThreatMon or an effort to allow the victim time to respond before wider disclosure.

From a security operations standpoint, this incident underlines three major concerns:

1. Insider Risk and Phishing Susceptibility: Many ransomware attacks start with compromised credentials. MFA implementation and phishing training remain critical gaps.
2. Infrastructure Monitoring: Without continuous log analysis and alerting, organizations fail to detect lateral movement or encryption activity in time.
3. Dark Web Surveillance: Platforms like ThreatMon offer a rare look into attacker chatter, early threat indicators, and attack lifecycle stages.

The use of open-source tools by ThreatMon, hosted on GitHub, implies a wider community effort in fighting ransomware. Collaborative intelligence, however, only works if enterprises act on these insights. Companies must integrate threat intelligence feeds into SIEM platforms and use this data to preemptively block C2 traffic and apply IOCs to endpoint detection.

Analytically speaking, Cloak’s activity aligns with patterns we’ve seen in groups like LockBit and BlackCat, where high-pressure tactics are combined with data-leak threats. What’s unique, however, is Cloak’s lower public profile—possibly a strategic move to avoid law enforcement takedowns or to position themselves as a stealth-focused group, targeting under-defended companies that don’t make the news.

Given how quickly ransomware groups dissolve, rebrand, and reemerge, analysts tracking Cloak should remain alert for future overlaps in payload signatures, TOR site infrastructure, and reused malware components. Expect further analysis to surface as ThreatMon or other researchers correlate this incident with others in the region or industry vertical.

Fact Checker Results:

The reported incident was verified via ThreatMon’s official social channel on May 6, 2025.
The domain of the victim has been partially censored, indicating confidentiality.
No breach confirmation has yet been published by the affected company.

Prediction:

Based on previous activity by emerging ransomware groups, it is likely that Cloak will continue targeting businesses with poor perimeter defense and limited media exposure to evade law enforcement attention. We expect further listings on dark web forums over the next quarter, potentially accompanied by file dumps or proof-of-hack samples. Organizations in finance, logistics, and regional utilities should prioritize risk assessment immediately.

Would you like a graphic showing Cloak’s typical ransomware attack lifecycle?

References:

Reported By: x.com
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