Target Audience: SOC, IR Teams, CISOs
Risk Level: High - multi-sector, double extortion, cross-region

Overview

Lynx (now rebranded Sinobi) is an aggressive RaaS actor known since mid-2024. With roots in INCRansomware, it targets critical sectors (energy, manufacturing, legal) using phishing, service killing, and data exfiltration leading to double extortion

 

Key Threat Indicators

  • Phishing emails with malicious attachments.
  • Unusual process terminations: SQL, Veeam, Exchange.
  • Deletion of Windows shadow copies.
  • Suspicious AES encryption patterns and file renaming.
  • Outbound data transfers preceding encryption.

 

Recommended Mitigations

  • Enforce MFA on all privileged accounts.
  • Regularly patch AV, backup (Veeam, ..), OS, and applications.
  • Monitor process-level anomalies, especially service terminations.
  • Deploy behavioral EDR/UEBA to detect lateral movement and encryption bursts.
  • Segment networks to protect critical assets (SDN, VLANs).
  • Maintain isolated, immutable backups, test recovery regularly.
  • Monitor TOR sites for suspected data leaks.

 

Detection Strategies

  • Alert on process termination via Restart Manager APIs.
  • Flag deletion of shadow copies ("vssadmin delete shadows").
  • Monitor large outbound files sent pre-encryption.
  • Track unexpected service shutdowns.

 

Response Actions

  • Immediately isolate affected hosts from network.
  • Initiate full forensic investigation of ransomware digging.
  • Identify and remove backdoor accounts or persistent mechanisms.
  • Notify stakeholders and law enforcement where required.
  • Begin encrypted recovery from clean backups; validate integrity.