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Cyber Threat
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Ransomware victim Telecommunication

SAWA INTERNATIONAL

Listed by Spacebears on · organisation based in UAE

sawainternational.com

Disclosed
Jun 20, 2024
Leak-site listing date
Threat group
Spacebears
166 victims listed
Country
UAE
#19 most targeted
Sector
Telecommunication

ThreatAI analysis

Compiled from this incident record and the threat intelligence profile for Spacebears. Figures and technique mappings are quoted from the source data, not inferred.

About the Spacebears group

Space Bears is a double-extortion ransomware group that emerged in April 2024, distinguished by a professional "corporate" aesthetic on its leak site, leveraging Phobos RaaS infrastructure and targeting small-to-medium organizations in manufacturing, technology, and healthcare across the US and Europe. Spacebears has listed 157 victims since April 2024.

Vulnerabilities Spacebears is recorded exploiting

5 of these 5 are in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog, 5 of them recorded by CISA as used in ransomware campaigns. CVEs attributed to Spacebears across its reported activity. There is no indication that any of these was involved in the SAWA INTERNATIONAL incident — the source data does not record an entry point.

Incident analysis

SAWA INTERNATIONAL was listed by Spacebears ransomware, a group with 166 victims recorded in this database. The listing appeared on the group's leak site on June 20, 2024.

SAWA INTERNATIONAL is based in UAE and operates in the Telecommunication sector. UAE ranks #19 worldwide for ransomware disclosures, with 173 victims in this database.

Sector context. Organisations in this sector hold valuable data and operational systems that ransomware groups seek to exploit for financial gain through encryption and data exfiltration.

Spacebears typically follows a double extortion model: data is exfiltrated from the victim's systems before files are encrypted, so the victim faces two demands at once — pay to restore access, and pay to keep stolen data unpublished. The leak site, where this listing appeared, is the lever for the second demand.

Source. Public leak-site disclosures aggregated via the ransomware.live API. The disclosure date is when the listing was published, which can differ from the date of compromise. This site does not publish or link to stolen data. Last updated .

Frequently asked questions

Was SAWA INTERNATIONAL attacked by ransomware?

Yes. SAWA INTERNATIONAL was listed as a victim of the Spacebears ransomware group on June 20, 2024. The organisation is based in UAE and operates in the Telecommunication sector. The disclosure appeared on the group's dark web leak site.

Which ransomware group attacked SAWA INTERNATIONAL?

SAWA INTERNATIONAL was attacked by Spacebears ransomware. Spacebears is one of the most active ransomware groups, having claimed 166 victims globally. The group typically employs a double-extortion model: encrypting the victim's files and threatening to publish stolen data.

When did the SAWA INTERNATIONAL ransomware attack occur?

The ransomware attack on SAWA INTERNATIONAL was disclosed on June 20, 2024. This date reflects when the victim was published on the threat group's leak site, which may differ from the actual date of initial compromise.

What data was stolen in the SAWA INTERNATIONAL ransomware attack?

The specific data stolen from SAWA INTERNATIONAL has not been independently verified by this platform. Ransomware groups typically exfiltrate data before encrypting systems and use the threat of publication to pressure victims. As a Telecommunication organisation, SAWA INTERNATIONAL likely held sensitive business data, client information, and operational records.

How can organisations protect against Spacebears attacks?

To defend against Spacebears and similar threat actors, organisations should: maintain regular offline backups tested for restoration; implement network segmentation to limit lateral movement; deploy multi-factor authentication on all remote access; use endpoint detection and response (EDR) tools; conduct regular phishing and security awareness training; and monitor threat intelligence feeds for indicators of compromise (IOCs) associated with active groups.