Threat actor
Akira
Last fetched
Akira is a threat actor tracked in WhisperGraph's MITRE ATT&CK corpus, observed using 17 techniques and also known as 3 other names.
Also known as
GOLD SAHARA, PUNK SPIDER, Howling Scorpius
Description
[Akira](https://attack.mitre.org/groups/G1024) is a ransomware variant and ransomware deployment entity active since at least March 2023.(Citation: Arctic Wolf Akira 2023) [Akira](https://attack.mitre.org/groups/G1024) uses compromised credentials to access single-factor external access mechanisms such as VPNs for initial access, then various publicly-available tools and techniques for lateral movement.(Citation: Arctic Wolf Akira 2023)(Citation: Secureworks GOLD SAHARA) [Akira](https://attack.mitre.org/groups/G1024) operations are associated with "double extortion" ransomware activity, where data is exfiltrated from victim environments prior to encryption, with threats to publish files if a ransom is not paid. Technical analysis of [Akira](https://attack.mitre.org/software/S1129) ransomware indicates variants capable of targeting Windows or VMWare ESXi hypervisors and multiple overlaps with [Conti](https://attack.mitre.org/software/S0575) ransomware.(Citation: BushidoToken Akira 2023)(Citation: CISA Akira Ransomware APR 2024)(Citation: Cisco Akira Ransomware OCT 2024)
Techniques by tactic
Attributed infrastructure
None published. WhisperGraph carries no ATTRIBUTED_TO edge to Akira today — this states the absence of a published link, not that Akira has no infrastructure.
References
- https://attack.mitre.org/groups/G1024
- https://www.cisa.gov/sites/default/files/2024-04/aa24-109a-stopransomware-akira-ransomware_2.pdf
- https://www.crowdstrike.com/adversaries/punk-spider/
- https://blog.talosintelligence.com/akira-ransomware-continues-to-evolve/
- https://www.secureworks.com/research/threat-profiles/gold-sahara
- https://arcticwolf.com/resources/blog/conti-and-akira-chained-together/
- https://blog.bushidotoken.net/2023/09/tracking-adversaries-akira-another.html
- https://unit42.paloaltonetworks.com/threat-assessment-howling-scorpius-akira-ransomware/
© The MITRE Corporation. This work is reproduced and distributed with the permission of The MITRE Corporation.
Related pages
Pivot from Akira into its techniques, tactics and any attributed infrastructure.
Queries
Resolves the slug to this actor, merging every duplicate node sharing the same name.
MATCH (a:ACTOR)
WHERE a.name =~ $pattern OR any(x IN a.aliases WHERE x =~ $pattern)
RETURN a.id AS id, a.name AS name, a.aliases AS aliases, a.description AS description,
a.references AS references, a.campaigns AS campaigns
LIMIT 25Techniques this actor uses, grouped by the tactic each one serves.
MATCH (a:ACTOR {name: $name})-[:USES_TECHNIQUE]->(t:ATTACK_PATTERN)
OPTIONAL MATCH (t)-[:USES_TACTIC]->(tac:ATTACK_PATTERN)
RETURN t.id AS techniqueId, t.name AS techniqueName, tac.id AS tacticId, tac.name AS tacticName
LIMIT 1000Infrastructure publicly attributed to this actor.
MATCH (n)-[:ATTRIBUTED_TO]->(a:ACTOR {name: $name})
RETURN labels(n)[0] AS kind, n.name AS name
LIMIT 25Or query Whisper from your own LLM workflow via the Whisper MCP server.