Handala
Since May 26, 2024, Handala has listed 175 organizations on its leak site.
Listings per month
- Total listings
- 175
- First listing
- May 26, 2024
- Latest listing
- Apr 8, 2026
- MITRE ATT&CK techniques
- 60
Not a Ransomware Group
It posted 69 listings in the last 12 months; the busiest month was March 2026 (39 listings).
The group's reported origin is Palestinian Territories.
The group is associated with 3 malware families.
Most targeted country: Israel, with 70 listings (40% of the total).
Most targeted sector: Technology, with 38 listings (22% of the total).
Targeted countries
Showing 10 of 175 results
60 MITRE ATT&CK techniques across 12 stages are documented in the group's attacks.
- 1
Initial access
The attacker gets into the corporate network for the first time.
T1078Valid AccountsT1078.002Valid Accounts: Domain AccountsT1078.004Valid Accounts: Cloud AccountsT1133External Remote ServicesT1190Exploit Public-Facing ApplicationT1199Trusted RelationshipT1566Phishing - 2
Execution
Malicious code runs on the target system.
T1047Windows Management InstrumentationT1059.001Command and Scripting Interpreter: PowerShellT1059.006Command and Scripting Interpreter: PythonT1072Software Deployment ToolsT1204.002User Execution: Malicious FileT1651Cloud Administration Command - 3
Persistence
Access survives reboots and password changes.
T1078Valid AccountsT1078.002Valid Accounts: Domain AccountsT1078.004Valid Accounts: Cloud AccountsT1098Account ManipulationT1133External Remote ServicesT1547.001Boot or Logon Autostart Execution: Registry Run Keys / Startup Folder - 4
Privilege escalation
The attacker moves to accounts with higher privileges.
T1078Valid AccountsT1078.002Valid Accounts: Domain AccountsT1078.004Valid Accounts: Cloud AccountsT1098Account ManipulationT1484.001Domain or Tenant Policy Modification: Group Policy ModificationT1547.001Boot or Logon Autostart Execution: Registry Run Keys / Startup Folder - 5
Credential access
Passwords, tokens and session data are stolen.
T1003.001OS Credential Dumping: LSASS MemoryT1110Brute ForceT1110.001Brute Force: Password GuessingT1110.004Brute Force: Credential StuffingT1552.002Unsecured Credentials: Credentials in Registry - 6
Discovery
Systems, accounts and data on the network are mapped.
T1082System Information DiscoveryT1087.002Account Discovery: Domain Account - 7
Lateral movement
The attacker moves to other systems inside the network.
T1021.001Remote Services: Remote Desktop ProtocolT1072Software Deployment Tools - 8
Collection
Data to be stolen is selected and gathered.
T1005Data from Local SystemT1074Data StagedT1113Screen CaptureT1114.002Email Collection: Remote Email CollectionT1119Automated CollectionT1123Audio CaptureT1125Video CaptureT1213.002Data from Information Repositories: SharepointT1560.001Archive Collected Data: Archive via Utility - 9
Command and control
Compromised systems are controlled remotely.
T1071.001Application Layer Protocol: Web ProtocolsT1102Web ServiceT1105Ingress Tool TransferT1219.002Remote Access Tools: Remote Desktop SoftwareT1572Protocol Tunneling - 10
Exfiltration
Data is moved out of the organization; the threat to publish it in the listing relies on this data.
T1041Exfiltration Over C2 Channel - 11
Impact
Systems are encrypted or services are stopped.
T1485Data DestructionT1486Data Encrypted for Impact - 12
Other techniques
T1027.015Obfuscated Files or Information: CompressionT1036.004Masquerading: Masquerade Task or ServiceT1036.005Masquerading: Match Legitimate Resource Name or LocationT1078Valid AccountsT1078.002Valid Accounts: Domain AccountsT1078.004Valid Accounts: Cloud AccountsT1564.003Hide Artifacts: Hidden WindowT1679Selective ExclusionT1684.001Social Engineering: Impersonation
The group is associated with 3 malware families.
Malware families
- FlashDevelop
- Handala
- Hatef
Published reports on this actor:
- https://www.splunk.com/en_us/blog/security/handalas-wiper-threat-analysis-and-detections.html
- https://www.trellix.com/blogs/research/handalas-wiper-targets-israel/
- https://intezer.com/blog/research/stealth-wiper-israeli-infrastructure/
Source: MISP Galaxy, Malpedia.
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 Handala get into organizations?
The attacker gets into the corporate network for the first time.
- T1078 · Valid Accounts
- T1078.002 · Valid Accounts: Domain Accounts
- T1078.004 · Valid Accounts: Cloud Accounts
- T1133 · External Remote Services
- T1190 · Exploit Public-Facing Application
- T1199 · Trusted Relationship
- T1566 · Phishing
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.
- Regularly check whether employee passwords and session cookies appear in infostealer logs.
- 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.
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