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Flocker ransomware Decryption and Recovery
Under attack by ransomware or suffering a cyber breach?
Speed is critical when facing a live cyber attack. If you believe you’ve been compromised, by the Flocker ransomware group or another threat actor - contact us immediately.
About Flocker ransomware group
What we can help with:
Previously known as FSociety in 2016, the group reemerged as Flocker in 2023. It has since partnered with ransomware entity FunkSec, forming one of the more coordinated ransomware groups in recent years, leveraging their combined strengths for more effective operations.
Flocker is known for launching sophisticated ransomware attacks that lock victims’ data and encrypt entire systems. Victims are then presented with a ransom demand, often in cryptocurrency, to regain access and prevent the exposure or sale of stolen data on the dark web.
- Encrypted files & ransomware data recovery
- Incident response and containment
- Secure data restoration and system recovery
- Use of ransomware decryption tools and data recovery software
- Development of incident response plans and disaster recovery solutions
- Post-incident reviews and security hardening
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If your organisation has been infected with ransomware contact us immediately.
How Flocker operators work
First identified in late 2023, Flocker is notorious for its aggressive attack methods and rapid expansion across multiple sectors. While believed to have evolved from the earlier FSociety group, security experts note significant differences in their impact, tactics, and use of advanced ransomware tools.
Flocker primarily targets Windows and Linux systems, distributing its malware through phishing emails, compromised remote desktop protocol (RDP) credentials, and exploit kits. Once inside a network, Flocker rapidly encrypts files and exfiltrates sensitive data, leveraging a double extortion model. Victims are not only locked out of their systems but also threatened with the public release of stolen and sensitive data if they fail to pay the ransom. In many cases, Flocker has been known to leak sensitive data on dark web forums as part of its intimidation strategy.
There is increasing speculation that Flocker operates under a ransomware as a service (RaaS) model, allowing affiliates to deploy its malware in exchange for a share of the profits. This has further fueled its growth and widened its reach.
Due to the growing number of successful attacks, Flocker is expected to become an increasingly dangerous threat to businesses worldwide. Security researchers continue to monitor its activities, warning organisations to bolster their cyber security measures against this evolving ransomware threat.
We are equipped to deal with an attack from any ransomware group.
Don’t hesitate to contact us if you are under attack from a ransomware group not listed above.
Recognising a Flocker attack
Flocker uses double extortion tactics, combining file encryption with data theft to pressure victims into making ransom payments. Even with backups in place, the threat of exposing confidential or sensitive business information can lead to severe financial and reputational damage.
Additionally, Flocker disables security tools and attempts to delete backups, making recovery significantly harder. If the ransom remains unpaid, the stolen data is often published on a data leak site or sold to other cybercriminals via dark web marketplaces.
Recent reports also suggest Flocker is expanding its capabilities to target mobile devices, signaling a broader shift in its attack surface and increasing its threat profile across both enterprise and consumer environments.
Why you must not interfere with your ransomware environment
If you discover a physical break-in at your offices, your first instinct would be to call the police; touch nothing and let them search for clues. Then, your focus would shift to restoring business operations.
A cyber-attack requires the same approach. Your digital environment is a CRIME SCENE. It is crucial to leave the environment untouched to allow for a forensic investigation.
This is not a task for your IT team or MSP. Digital Forensic specialists are available 24/7 to assist you, just like in a physical crime.
Known threat actors
Ransomware groups behind the attacks
Below is a breakdown of the most active ransomware groups and the variants driving their attacks.
Post breach actions
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Call a NCSC Cyber Incident Response approved supplier Some NCSC providers will fund up to 48 hours of investigation into your incident.
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Report the incident to Action Fraud
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Locate your business continuity plan Work out what you can do without access to your systems and data.
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Identify your business insurance contact details
Who are we and what experience do we have in responding to cyber incidents?
We are accredited to ISO 27001 and recognised by the UK’s National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC).
We provide comprehensive cyber risk management services, with a core focus on Digital Forensics and Incident Response (DFIR). Our capabilities are driven by a 24/7 Security Operations Centre and a dedicated in-house intelligence team that delivers timely, actionable threat reporting.
With decades of collective cyber security experience, we have the expertise to assume operational ownership of your entire IT security architecture – simplifying and strengthening cyber security across your business.
As an Assured Service Provider for Cyber Incident Response (CIR) at the Standard Level. This accreditation demonstrates our ability to deliver high-assurance, effective support in response to a wide range of cyber threats.
Your NCSC-approved supplier is a specialist crime scene investigator who will:
- Isolate and preserve your environment for forensic investigation.
- Identify where the data has been duplicated and issue a legal takedown order.
- Identify your data, application and systems restore points. These might be at different points in time and will need to be carefully restored and reconstructed in a pristine environment.
- Liaise with your business insurance company and if needed, with the Police.
- Advise you on notifying your customers of your situation.
- Rebuild your systems, restore your data and get you back to full operation. Note: This process can take between 2 weeks – 2 months.
Working with us
Our response process
Our team are ransomware recovery specialists with a proven, streamlined approach to resolving incidents quickly and effectively.
Step 1: Triage
We deploy our incident response team the same day. From the first call, we begin onboarding, introduce key stakeholders, set communication schedules, and start gathering critical information to guide the response.
Step 2: Investigation
DFIR (Digital Forensic Incident Response) teams investigate breaches to identify vulnerabilities, attack vectors, and system impacts from ransomware such as Data Loss (PII). We deliver clear forensic insights to guide mitigation.
Step 3: Contain
Our onsite and remote teams act fast to stop the attack in its tracks. That includes isolating affected systems, removing malicious code, and putting protections in place to prevent further spread or damage.
Step 4: Remediate & Eradicate
Once contained, we work to fully eliminate the threat. This includes fixing exploited vulnerabilities, restoring systems to a secure state, and ensuring no traces of the attack remain.
Step 5: Recover
Our incident response teams help get your business back to normal. We restore access to systems, recover data, and ensure services are safe, stable, and functioning, with minimal downtime.
Step 6: Post Incident
We conduct a full review of the incident response and recovery efforts. Together we assess what happened, what worked, and what can be improved, helping you build stronger defences for the future.
Forensic analysis to drive recovery
Our process includes a thorough digital forensic analysis from step two where the output becomes a central component of business recovery. This is because understanding the attack is of critical importance:
Informing an initial infection date
The extent and spread of infection
Data exfiltration having an impact on regulatory positions
Ensuring that the attacker and any tooling or artefacts they leave behind are eradicated
It is critical that the analysis of digital evidence is carried out to an agreed plan.
Maximising early root cause discovery and legal leverage
The process is purpose-built to uncover the root cause as early as possible, which is essential to inform remediation / eradication and recovery as well as supporting a legal take-down case if this is applicable. A legal take-down means we can assist in the legal enforcement that stops the criminals from publishing the data, thus undermining the ransom notice.
Our Digital Forensic and Incident Response (DFIR) teams maintain consistent communication throughout. Dedicated Incident Managers and technical engineering leads provide updates during the Cyber Incident Response journey, utilising risk registers and working within change management processes, all from triage through to post-incident, delivering successful business recovery.
Key take aways
- You will not be able to access your systems or data.
- It is advised to disconnect from the internet and shut down your systems, including PCs, to prevent further infections.
- Your Office 365 system might also be compromised, allowing the attackers to monitor your responses. Avoid communicating with individuals through your primary email or team systems.
- Threat actors typically infiltrate your system at least 2-4 weeks before you become aware of the attack. Your data will have already been exfiltrated. If your system is encrypted, this was not an overnight event.
- Ransom demands in the UK typically range from £500,000 to £3 million, with some sectors, like education, facing demands that exceed £5 million
- Paying the ransom may violate financial sanctions, which is a criminal offence and could result in a custodial sentence or further financial penalties.
- If your data is sold or published online, it puts your customers and staff at risk, potentially implicating you in a Data Protection breach.
- You will need to submit a data takedown request to the initial location where the data was transferred.
- Do not overwrite the encrypted data. It is crucial to determine when the infection began and where the data was sent.
- Avoid rebuilding from the latest backup, as it is likely to be infected.
Why should I trust Zensec to do this work rather than my IT team?
A forensic analysis needs to be meticulous and a clean restore and recovery requires a wealth of experience not normally available in an in-house team who must provide a broader range of IT support skills:
Internal IT teams don’t have the necessary skill set to resolve security encryption issues themselves.
IT teams may recover to the same position with indicators of compromise ready to do it again… which can lead to another breach.
Internal teams are pressured to restore business operations and may recover before forensic analysis even begins, potentially destroying the crime scene before completion.
We can help
Frequently asked questions
Key information when you’re under pressure.
Yes, Flocker is a ransomware group that functions as a Ransomware-as-a-Service (RaaS). The group offers its advanced ransomware tools to affiliates who carry out attacks in return for a portion of the ransom payments. These affiliates typically exploit known vulnerabilities in systems or use phishing campaigns to gain initial access before demanding ransoms from victims in exchange for decryption keys and to prevent data exposure.
Flocker ransomware typically infects systems through one or more of the following methods:
Phishing emails that trick users into clicking malicious links
Malicious attachments disguised as legitimate files
Compromised websites that automatically download malware
Exploiting vulnerabilities in outdated software or unpatched systems
To help protect your organisation and avoid becoming potential victims of future attacks, Zensec recommends the following preventative measures:
Educate your staff on cyber security best practices
Enforce the use of strong passwords
Implement multi-factor authentication across all critical systems
Regularly review and remove inactive or old user accounts
Schedule and test regular data backups
Apply security updates and patches promptly
After recovering from a Flocker infection, it's essential to update your business continuity plan to reflect the lessons learned during the incident and ensure improved resilience moving forward.
Facing genuine pressure, there's a crucial decision to make - one that could rescue your organisation from weeks of operational standstill, reputation damage, and client data loss. Yet, the probability of a favourable outcome remains slim, emphasising the importance of engaging a specialised ransomware incident response team. They are your most viable recourse for navigating a ransomware incident.
The NCSC have documented the deliberations for paying ransomware: https://www.ncsc.gov.uk/ransomware/home
Important Reminder: It is a criminal offense to pay money to people who are subject to financial sanctions. The list of who is subject to financial sanctions is constantly changing.
The latest iteration can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/financial-sanctions-consolidated-list-of-targets
A ransomware attack presents the most significant threat to your business by:
- Disabling your access to systems, which could hinder machinery operation or impede progress through your business processes.
- Blocking access to critical data concerning suppliers, shipments, customers, orders, or steps in your business workflow.
In the event of a business interruption, identifying your position in the supply chain and sustaining operations can be challenging. If the disruption continues, maintaining business continuity becomes critical. Once systems and data are restored, addressing backlogs and establishing future operational protocols are essential.
Ransomware ranks only behind receivership in terms of its capacity to incapacitate a business.
The NCSC is the UK National Cyber Security Centre. They provide cyber security guidance and support, helping to make the UK the safest place to live and work online. They have defined a Cyber Incident Response procedure and they have approved and accredited suppliers to provide this service.
As a recognised Assured Service Provider by the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC), Zensec provide comprehensive cyber risk management services that are designed to Protect, Detect & Mitigate cyber security threats across the UK.
Action Fraud is the UK's national reporting centre for fraud and cybercrime. Whether you have been scammed, defrauded, or experienced cybercrime in England, Wales, or Northern Ireland, Action Fraud offers a central point of contact for information on fraud and financially motivated cybercrime.
To protect sensitive data, use strong encryption and restrict access to files based on user roles and department responsibilities. Implement multi-factor authentication, carry out regular backups, and ensure systems are consistently patched and monitored.
It’s also important to educate staff across every domain of the business, whether in IT, finance, or customer service, on how to recognise phishing emails and other common threats. As cyber risks continue to evolve, your security strategy must reflect that evolution. Review and update your cyber defences regularly to stay ahead of emerging threats.
If your business operates an affiliate program, take extra care to vet partners and ensure they follow your data protection standards. Third-party breaches can also expose your sensitive data, so extending security awareness beyond your core team is vital.
In sectors such as property, compliance with real estate regulation is essential. Cyber breaches that affect client records, financial data, or land transaction details may lead to legal penalties or reputational harm.
Dealing with a ransomware attack?
Our ransomware recovery service can help
Our expert team works quickly to contain the breach, recover your data, and restore your systems to full operation. We’ll guide you through every step of the recovery process and help strengthen your defences to prevent future attacks. Regain control with Zensec - trusted support when it matters most.