Lynx ransomware claims to strike CBS affiliate

A ransomware actor Lynx has just added WDEF-TV, a major CBS affiliate in Chattanooga, to its dark web hall of shame, alleging a ransomware attack.

Lynx, the cybercriminal gang behind the alleged ransomware attack, has listed the CBS-affiliated television station, WDEF-TV, as a victim on its leak site on the dark web.

In the message on May 1st, the threat actor did not specify what information was in the stolen dataset. However, a sample of the stolen data added to the listing appears to be a confidential agreement with the network's employee.

Ransomware gangs often list victims on their dark web leak sites, attempting to muscle organizations into paying a ransom or face dealing with a damaging leak of stolen data.

WDEF-TV, Channel 12, is serving Chattanooga, Tennessee, and is owned by Morris Multimedia. The station’s broadcast signal reaches across parts of Tennessee, Georgia, and Alabama.

Cybernews has reached out to the company for a comment, but hasn’t yet received a response.

What is Lynx ransomware?

Caught on the radar in mid-2024, the gang is operating as Ransomware-as-a-Service (RaaS) and is known to target organizations in the finance, architecture, and manufacturing sectors.

Darktrace’s Threat Research teams also uncovered Lynx-related incidents targeting energy and retail sectors across the Middle East and Asia-Pacific (APAC) regions.

According to Cybernews' in-house surveillance tool, Ransomlooker, the gang has listed 196 victims since 2024, and is among the key players in the ransomware scene.

Unit42 researchers identify that Lynx’s malware shares significant portions of its source code with the INC ransomware variant, indicating the group likely repurposed readily available INC code to craft its own custom strain.On their leak site, Lynx gang claims that they have a clear intention to avoid undue harm to organizations.

They claim to follow ethical policies and not target governmental institutions, hospitals, or non-profit organizations, as “these sectors play vital roles in society.”

“Our operational model encourages dialogue and resolution rather than chaos and destruction,” write the gang.