Egregor ransomware group explained: And how to defend against it

What is Egregor?

Egregor is one of the most rapidly growing ransomware families. Its name comes from the occult world and is defined as “the collective energy of a group of people, especially when aligned with a common goal,” according to Recorded Future’s Insikt Group. Although descriptions of the malware vary from security firm to security firm, the consensus is that Egregor is a variant of the Sekhmet ransomware family.

It arose in September 2020, at the same time the Maze ransomware gang announced its intention to shut down operations. Affiliates who were part of the Maze group appear, however, to have moved on to Egregor without skipping a beat.

Insikt and Palo Alto Networks’ Unit 42 think Egregor is associated with commodity malware such as Qakbot, which became prominent in 2007 and uses a sophisticated, evasive worm to steal financial credentials, as well as other off-the-shelf malware such as IcedID and Ursnif. These pieces of malware help attackers gain initial access to victims’ systems.

All security researchers seem to agree with Cybereason’s Nocturnus Team that Egregor is a rapidly emerging, high-severity threat. According to security firm Digital Shadows, Egregor has claimed at least 71 victims across 19 different industries worldwide.