  The LockBit 3.0 ransomware variant is arguably the most threatening of
malware in recent times. With no regard for a victim's industry, the ransomware
has undergone several evolutions to arrive at an adaptable and evasive variant
which has been a menace to governments and organisations, recently infiltrating
Advanced Computer Software group. Previous LockBit studies mostly concentrated
on measuring the impact of the ransomware attack, prevention, encryption
detection, decryption, or data recovery, thereby providing little or no benefit
to the less tech savvy populace as a detailed breakdown of the mode of attack
is rarely examined. This article analyses the LockBit 3.0 attack techniques
with a contextual illustration of the attack on Advanced Computer Software
group. With the NHS being a major client of the organisation, and its services
alongside 15 other clients being crippled for hours during the attack,
attention is drawn to how dreadful such disruption may be in critical
organisations. We observed that the upgrade of Lockbit based on releasing newer
versions is in a bid to continuously ensure the malware's efficiency - a virtue
that keeps it at the zenith - by staying ahead of improved defenses. Our study
highlights social engineering as a vibrant portal to Lockbit's maliciousness
and indicates an investment in detection systems may profit more than in
prevention systems. Therefore, further research should consider improving
detection systems against Lockbit 3.0.
