The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) released a Private Industry Notification on September 27, 2023, detailing the emerging trends of “multiple ransomware attacks on the same victim in close date proximity and new data destruction tactics in ransomware attacks.” The FBI specified that as of July 2023, the agency observed threat actors deploying two (2) different ransomware variants in various combinations from the following list: AvosLocker, Diamond, Hive, Karakurt, LockBit, Quantum, and Royal. This tactic is said to have resulted in data encryption, exfiltration, and financial loss from ransom payments as well as heightened harm to the victim organization if a second ransomware attack occurs shortly after, as the organization would not have time to effectively prepare. In response to this trend, security researchers have been reporting that this is not “a new phenomenon” and has been tracked as “double extortion attacks” since 2021. Ransomware experts stated that ransomware actors will sometimes “encrypt data with one ransomware strain and then re-encrypt that data with the second strain” and have also been observed encrypting “some data with one strain and the rest with another.” One (1) cybersecurity company is known to have observed REvil, Netwalker, GlobeImposter, and MedusaLocker strains being used in this attack type. The FBI also explained that various ransomware groups were observed in early 2022 having an increased use of custom data theft, wiper tools, and malware. The agency noted that “in some cases, new code was added to known data theft tools to prevent detection” as well as “malware containing data wipers remained dormant until a set time, then executed to corrupt data in alternating intervals.” The FBI’s notification concludes with a list of mitigations including preparing for cyber incidents, identity and access management, protective controls and architecture, and vulnerability and configuration management. CTIX analysts urge organizations to review and implement the noted mitigations to help reduce the risk of falling victim to attacks following these trends.