The Department of Health and Human Services reduced the threat level of the BlackMatter ransomware group, as the department claims it is no longer operating.
According to a Jan. 28 HHS cybersecurity bulletin, BlackMatter, which previously has targeted the healthcare and public health sector, has not attacked since Oct. 31, 2021.
"HC3 can confirm that the BlackMatter leak site is no longer operational and no known ransomware variants are believed to be successors at this time, according to open source reporting," the report said.
The level of the group was changed from "yellow" to "blue," indicating that a potential risk remains, but no known exploits have been identified.
During its active operation, BlackMatter attacked at least four healthcare-related organizations, including a medical testing and diagnostics company, a pharmaceutical consulting company and a dermatology clinic.