eSentire’s Threat Response Unit (TRU), led by researchers Joe Stewart and Keegan Keplinger, have launched a multi-pronged offensive against a growing cyberthreat: the Gootloader Initial Access-as-a-Service Operation. The Gootloader Operation is an expansive cybercrime business, and it has been active since 2018. For the past 15 months, the Gootloader Operator has been launching ongoing attacks targeting legal professionals working for both law firms and corporate legal departments in the U.S., Canada, the U.K. and Australia. Between January and March 2023, TRU shut down Gootloader attacks against 12 different organizations, seven of which were law firms.