Mantinga listed on Hunters International ransomware leak site

• Ransomware group: Hunters
• Country: Lithuania
• Sector: Agriculture and Food Production
• Announcement date: November 18, 2024

Lithuanian food producer targeted by Hunters International

The international food manufacturer Mantinga has been listed on the leak site of the ransomware group known as Hunters International. The threat actor claims that the organization has been compromised, alleging that both data exfiltration and system encryption have occurred during the attack.

Details of the claimed attack

According to the announcement made on the group's leak platform on November 18, 2024, the entity Mantinga is a victim of their operations. The threat actor claims that the attack took place on November 17, 2024. The group asserts that they have successfully exfiltrated data from the organization's systems and have subsequently encrypted the affected systems.

Hunters International is a ransomware group that emerged in 2023. Technical assessments suggest that the group's operations and codebase are derived from the Hive ransomware code. This lineage is significant in the threat landscape, as it links the group to established ransomware methodologies.

Information regarding compromised data

While the announcement from the Hunters International group explicitly states that data has been exfiltrated and systems have been encrypted, there is no detailed information provided regarding the specific types of data that have been compromised. The listing does not specify the volume of files or the total size of the data involved, nor does it mention a specific ransom demand.

About Mantinga

Mantinga is an international food manufacturer based in Lithuania. The company specializes in the production and distribution of frozen bakery products, sandwiches, and other convenience food items.

Potential impact and organizational risks

This incident may lead to significant disruptions in the entity's operational processes and may result in breaches of data confidentiality. Because the entity operates in Lithuania, a potential data breach could result in legal and administrative sanctions under the European Union's General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).

The exposure of employee or customer data may increase secondary risks, such as identity theft or targeted phishing attacks. Given the past activities of the Hunters International group, it is assessed that the entity may be facing a double-extortion scenario. Double extortion is a common ransomware tactic where attackers not only encrypt an organization's data to disrupt operations but also steal sensitive information to threaten the victim with its public release unless a ransom is paid.

For organizations operating in the food production and distribution sector, such incidents highlight the importance of robust cybersecurity frameworks. Common defensive steps for organizations include maintaining offline backups, implementing multi-factor authentication, and ensuring regular patching of all software and systems to prevent unauthorized access. Furthermore, maintaining a comprehensive incident response plan is essential for mitigating the operational and legal consequences of a potential breach.