Bojangles’ International listed on Hunters ransomware leak site

• Ransomware group: Hunters
• Country: United States
• Sector: Hospitality
• Announcement date: April 12, 2024

Hunters ransomware group claims attack on Bojangles’ International

The Hunters ransomware group has officially listed Bojangles’ International on its dedicated leak site. According to the group's announcement, the cybercriminal collective claims to have successfully breached the organization's network, resulting in both the encryption of systems and the exfiltration of sensitive information.

This incident follows a common pattern in modern cybercrime known as double extortion. In such scenarios, threat actors do not merely lock an organization out of its own systems through encryption; they also steal vast quantities of data. This allows the attackers to threaten the victim with the public release of their information if a ransom is not paid, thereby increasing the pressure on the target organization to comply with their demands.

Details of the claimed breach

The announcement regarding Bojangles’ International was published on April 12, 2024. The Hunters group claims that their intrusion into the network was successful and has resulted in a significant volume of stolen data. While the specific nature or categories of the exfiltrated data have not been provided by the group, the scale of the theft is substantial based on the metrics provided in their leak site posting.

The group has provided the following claims regarding the stolen information:

• Total data volume: 294.8 GB
• Total file count: 387,025 files

The listing does not specify the types of files or the specific departments within the organization that were targeted. However, the sheer volume of files and the gigabytes of data suggest a broad impact on the organization's digital assets.

About Bojangles’ International

Bojangles’ International is a prominent United States-based fast-food restaurant chain. The company is widely recognized for its specialty in fried chicken and biscuits. It maintains an extensive operational network of restaurants, which is primarily concentrated throughout the southeastern states of the US.

Risk assessment and implications

This incident may pose a significant risk to the organization's operational continuity. Given that Hunters International is assessed to be derived from the Hive ransomware codebase, it is possible that similar tactics have been employed during this attack. The use of established codebases allows ransomware groups to deploy sophisticated and effective malware that can quickly spread through a network.

As a US-based entity, a potential data breach may trigger legal proceedings under state-level privacy laws and federal regulations. Organizations operating in the hospitality sector must navigate a complex landscape of compliance and regulatory requirements to protect consumer data. Furthermore, secondary risks may emerge for the organization's customers and employees, such as identity theft or targeted phishing attacks, which often follow the release of stolen personal information.

It is also worth noting that reports suggesting that the group ceased encryption activities in 2025 may indicate a shift in their operational methods or a transition in their activities. This evolution in tactics is a common trend among sophisticated threat actors who adapt to defensive improvements.

To mitigate such risks, organizations in the hospitality sector often implement defensive strategies such as robust network segmentation, multi-factor authentication, and continuous monitoring of network traffic. Regular backups and incident response planning are also critical components of a resilient cybersecurity posture, helping to ensure that an organization can recover quickly in the event of a successful breach.