Leaked Chat Logs Reveal Black Basta's Dark Night of the Soul

After Disrupting Ascension Health, Black Basta Forecast Reprisals From FBI, Moscow Mathew J. Schwartz (euroinfosec) • February 28, 2025

Combing through leaked ransomware group chats, I didn't expect to see members of Black Basta debating the ethics of their targeting, including amassing healthcare victims.

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Of course, self-reflection among criminals only goes so far: The leaks don't show anyone foreswearing the hacking life or, say, donating their stolen money to orphanages.

Members of the ransomware-as-a-service group mainly seemed worried about the optics of targeting healthcare institutions and provoking a response from Western law enforcement or even a crackdown by Russian authorities.

Black Basta's leaked chat logs suggest the Russia-speaking criminal operation succumbed to fears about potential repercussions and gave Missouri-based Catholic hospital chain Ascension Healthcare a "free" decryptor after cryptolocking its systems in May 2024.

It should ...