First detected in November 2024, Frag is a fast-emerging ransomware group linked to attacks on unpatched Veeam servers and closely aligned with ransomware families like Akira and Fog.
Organizations targeted by Frag often face extensive file encryption, data theft, and the threat of public exposure. Like many modern ransomware groups, its use of precision targeting, modular payloads, and tailored extortion tactics makes it a significant threat.
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. A cyber-attack requires the same approach.
Your digital environment is a CRIME SCENE. It is crucial to leave the environment untouched to allow Digital Forensic specialists to investigation. This is not a task for your IT team or MSP.
Frag is believed to be operated by a relatively new but technically skilled cybercriminal group that prioritises stealth, speed, and disruption of recovery infrastructure. Unlike many ransomware groups operating on a ransomware-as-a-service (RaaS) model, Frag appears to function as a closed operation, with all attacks conducted in-house by a small, experienced team. Elements of its tooling and tactics suggest reuse of code from now-defunct groups such as Hive and LockBit, combined with novel obfuscation techniques and fileless malware strategies.
What distinguishes Frag is its modular ransomware payload. Each attack features a customised build, compiled shortly before deployment to avoid signature-based detection. The malware can be tailored to the victim’s operating environment, with support for both Windows and Linux, making it particularly effective in hybrid infrastructure setups and virtualised environments. Frag's known targets include organisations in financial services, law, healthcare, and IT, with a strong focus on those storing sensitive client data or providing time-critical services.
Ransom demands typically start in the low six-figure range but have escalated into millions in some cases. Victims are directed to communicate via private chat portals hosted on the dark web, where negotiation and payment instructions are provided. In many instances, Frag operators release a small sample of stolen data to prove the breach and apply psychological pressure to accelerate payment.
Frag attacks are deliberate and manually controlled, often starting with spear-phishing or exploiting unpatched remote access systems like VPNs and firewalls. In some cases, attackers use stolen or brute-forced credentials to gain access.
Once inside, they perform reconnaissance with legitimate admin tools to evade detection, mapping networks, harvesting credentials (e.g., via Mimikatz), and disabling antivirus. Lateral movement targets file servers, backups, and domain controllers.
Encryption is swift and targeted—files are locked with strong cryptography and renamed with a .frag extension. Ransom notes direct victims to dark web portals, with threats to leak data. In some cases, Frag has escalated pressure by sharing stolen data with clients, media, or public forums.
Active since November 2024, Frag has quickly become a rising threat, with 30 confirmed attacks. Analysts warn that its growing sophistication, stealth, and use of psychological pressure make it one of the most dangerous emerging ransomware groups.
Solace Cyber’s track record includes hundreds of successful response recoveries, providing Digital Forensic Incident Response services, 24x7x365.
“Only 58% of medium businesses have a formal cyber security strategy in place.”
Solace Global was founded in 2010 as global experts in risk management and security, offering services such as Travel, Crisis, and Offshore Risk Management. With a 24/7 Security Operations Centre and an in-house intelligence team providing daily and weekly reports, Solace Global is accredited to ISO 27001, 14001, 45001, and 9001 standards.
Solace Cyber was established in 2021, specialising in Cyber breaches, particularly Digital Forensics and Incident Response, Ransomware, Risk Management, and Information Security, along with Managed Security Services. The leadership team collectively possess over 20 years of experience in the IT and security industry.
Solace Cyber is accredited to ISO 27001 and, in 2022, achieved recognition as an Assured Service Provider for Cyber Incident Response (CIR) at the Standard Level with the National Cyber Security Centre. This prestigious accreditation reflects the UK's highest cyber security standards, ensuring top-tier incident response support and recovery.
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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:
Solace Cyber was established precisely for this scenario. We have a well-defined process for handling cyber-attacks like Frag, which involves a 6-step approach:
It includes a thorough digital forensic analysis from step 2 where the output becomes a central component of business recovery. This is because understanding the attack is of critical importance:
It is critical that the analysis of digital evidence is carried out to an agreed plan. This will have been designed to provide the best and earliest chance of discovering a root cause, 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.
Solace’s Digital Forensic and Incident Response 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.
Solace Cyber's assistance extends beyond the recovery phase. Following the restoration of your business operations, we collaborate with you to enhance your cyber security posture using a threat-informed methodology. This involves leveraging our Cyber 9 Step Process, designed to comprehensively address cyber threats and vulnerabilities.
Yes, Frag is a ransomware group that encrypts victims’ data and uses stolen information to extort payment, often threatening public exposure to maximise pressure.
A Frag ransomware attack generally enters a system in one of the following ways:
To prevent a future attack:
Most ransomware breaches cost approximately £500K, while smaller email data breaches typically cost around £50K. There is a critical balance between preserving the environment for forensic analysis and quickly recovering it to minimise business interruption. The costs increase the longer it takes to identify and resolve the breach.
A cyber security insurance claim is complex, covering reasonable expenses for investigating and remediating an incident, along with legal fees, business interruption, criminal liability, employment liability, and ransom payments. Although the insurance industry is responsible for facilitating business recovery, cyber insurance is viewed as volatile, and many policies are not being validated correctly.
Finding your way through demands expertise, and that's where Solace Cyber can offer assistance.
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
Yes. There's a possibility that some of the lost data falls under the category of "Personal Data" belonging to your customers. It's your legal responsibility to safeguard this data, even if it has been lost. Additionally, you may need to notify the Information Commissioner's Office at https://ico.org.uk/.
Your insurer or legal counsel will provide guidance on the necessary steps and how to move forward in this situation.
Solace has experience collaborating with insurers and legal professionals and can offer support in managing this relationship during this challenging period.
A ransomware attack presents the most significant threat to your business by:
In the event of a business interruption, determining your position in the supply chain for any item and sustaining operations become challenges. If the disruption persists, maintaining business continuity becomes paramount. Moreover, upon restoration of systems and data, addressing any backlog of work and establishing operational protocols for the future becomes 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), Solace Cyber 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.
In the event of a Frag ransom attack on your systems, REMAIN CALM.
DO NOT INTERACT WITH THEM, ATTEMPT TO RESTORE, OR OVERWRITE ANY DATA (explanation above).
Reach out to Solace Cyber at 01202 308818 or complete our form for a callback from one of our specialists.
We'll respond promptly to minimise your business's downtime.
Solace Cyber, part of Solace Global, helps companies across the UK recover from ransomware attacks and data breaches.
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