Clop

The ransomware group known as Cl0p is a variant of a previously known strain dubbed CryptoMix. It is worth noting that this variant was delivered as the final payload in a phishing campaign in 2019 and was exclusively financially motivated, with attacks carried out by the threat actors TA505. At that time, malicious actors sent phishing emails that led to a macro-enabled document that would drop a loader called 'Get2.' After gaining an initial foothold in the system or infrastructure, the actors began using reconnaissance, lateral movement, and exfiltration techniques to prepare for the deployment of the ransomware. After the execution of the ransomware, Cl0p appends the extension '.clop' to the end of files, or other types of extensions such as '.CIIp, .Cllp, and .C_L_O_P,' as well as different versions of the ransom note that were also observed after encryption. Depending on the variant, any of the ransom text files were created with names like 'ClopReadMe.txt, README_README.txt, Cl0pReadMe.txt, and READ_ME_!!!.TXT.' The Clop operation has shifted from delivering its final payload via phishing and has begun initiating attacks using vulnerabilities that resulted in the exploitation and infection of victims' infrastructures.

It posted 180 listings in the last 12 months; the busiest month was February 2026 (79 listings).

Also known as: Cl0p

Most targeted country: United States, with 457 listings (35% of the total).

Most targeted sector: Technology, with 242 listings (19% of the total).

Targeted countries

Targeted sectors

Showing 10 of 1,304 results

31 MITRE ATT&CK techniques across 11 stages are documented in the group's attacks.

1
Initial access
The attacker gets into the corporate network for the first time.
T1078Valid accountsT1190Exploit public-facing applicationT1566.001Phishing: Spear-phishing attachment
2
Execution
Malicious code runs on the target system.
T1059Command and scripting interpreterT1106Native APIT1204User execution
3
Persistence
Access survives reboots and password changes.
T1543.003Create or modify system process: Windows serviceT1547Boot or logon autostart execution
4
Privilege escalation
The attacker moves to accounts with higher privileges.
T1068Exploitation for privilege escalationT1484.001Domain Policy modification: Group Policy modificationT1574Hijack execution flow
5
Defense evasion
Security software and logging are bypassed.
T1036.001Masquerading: invalid code signatureT1055.001Process injection: DLL injectionT1070.001Indicator removal on host: clear Windows event logsT1070.004Indicator removal on host: file deletionT1140Deobfuscate/Decode files or informationT1202Indirect command executionT1562.001Impair defenses: disable or modify tools
6
Discovery
Systems, accounts and data on the network are mapped.
T1012Query registryT1018Remote system discoveryT1057Process discoveryT1063Security software discoveryT1082System information discoveryT1083File and directory discovery
7
Lateral movement
The attacker moves to other systems inside the network.
T1021.002Remote services: SMB/Windows admin sharesT1570Lateral tool transfer
8
Collection
Data to be stolen is selected and gathered.
T1005Data from local system
9
Command and control
Compromised systems are controlled remotely.
T1071Application Layer Protocol
10
Exfiltration
Data is moved out of the organization; the threat to publish it in the listing relies on this data.
T1567Exfiltration over web service
11
Impact
Systems are encrypted or services are stopped.
T1486Data encrypted for impactT1490Inhibit system recovery

What does a ransomware group do?

Ransomware groups break into corporate networks, move data out and encrypt systems. If the ransom is not paid, they list the organization on a leak site and threaten to publish the data.

How does Clop get into organizations?

The attacker gets into the corporate network for the first time.

T1078 · Valid accounts
T1190 · Exploit public-facing application
T1566.001 · Phishing: Spear-phishing attachment

Which defenses matter most?

Priority defenses based on the documented techniques:

Keep internet-facing VPN, remote desktop and firewall interfaces patched, and require multi-factor authentication on these accounts.
Allow scripts and macros only for users who need them, and keep behavioral rules enabled in endpoint protection.
Monitor newly created services, scheduled tasks and startup entries.
Reduce local administrator accounts and perform privileged tasks from separate, monitored accounts.
Alert when security software is disabled or logs are cleared.
Monitor accounts that run many queries in a short time and unusual network scans.
Segment the network and expose management protocols only on the management network.
Monitor large file archiving operations.
Block unapproved use of remote management tools.
Monitor unusual data volumes sent to cloud storage and file transfer services.
Keep offline, immutable backups and test restores regularly.

What should you do if your organization is listed on a leak site?

Record the listing and any published sample files; do not visit the leak site from the corporate network.
Isolate affected systems and preserve logs without deleting them.
Determine which data left the organization; if personal data is involved, review notification obligations with your legal team.
Make any decision about the ransom demand together with legal, management and incident response.
Do not bring systems back online before the attacker’s entry point is closed.

Is your organization mentioned?

Search with your domain to check whether your organization appears in ransomware listings, leaked records, forums and Telegram channels.

Search your domain

Listings per month

Targeted countries

Targeted sectors

Initial access

Execution

Persistence

Privilege escalation

Defense evasion

Discovery

Lateral movement

Collection

Command and control

Exfiltration

Impact

Intelligence 360