clop

**Overview:** Clop is a prominent ransomware group that emerged in March 2020, operating primarily for financial gain through large-scale extortion campaigns targeting organizations across multiple sectors. The group has demonstrated sophisticated capabilities and persistence, becoming one of the most prolific ransomware operators with over 1,250 documented victims globally. **Origin & Affiliation:** Clop is believed to be linked to the TA505 cybercriminal group and has suspected ties to Russian-speaking threat actors, though they operate as an independent ransomware enterprise rather than a traditional RaaS model. The group has shown connections to other malware families and has been associated with the FIN11 financial crime group. **Attack Methodology:** Clop primarily gains initial access through exploitation of zero-day vulnerabilities in file transfer applications, most notably targeting MOVEit Transfer software in 2023, along with previous campaigns against Accellion FTA and other file transfer solutions. The group employs double extortion tactics, stealing sensitive data before encryption and threatening public disclosure on their leak site if ransom demands are not met, utilizing their own custom Clop ransomware variant that employs strong encryption algorithms. **Notable Campaigns:** The group's most significant campaign occurred in 2023 when they exploited a zero-day vulnerability in Progress Software's MOVEit Transfer application, affecting hundreds of organizations worldwide including major corporations, government agencies, and healthcare systems, making it one of the largest ransomware campaigns in history. This attack alone impacted millions of individuals whose personal data was compromised across multiple high-profile victims including major payroll processors and financial institutions. **Current Status:** Clop remains active as of 2024, continuing to conduct ransomware operations despite law enforcement efforts and increased scrutiny following their massive MOVEit campaign.