Latest cybersecurity reporting from selected sources.

2023 LockBit Attack Affected Nearly 9M People, Including ChildrenMCNA Dental, one of the largest providers of U.S. government-sponsored dental benefits to children, has agreed to a proposed multimillion dollar settlement to resolve class action claims stemming from a 2023 LockBit ransomware attack and data theft that affected nearly 9 million people.

Class Action Stems From 2023 Ransomware Attack Affecting More Than 500,000Capital Health, which operates hospitals and other facilities in New Jersey and Pennsylvania, agreed to pay $4.5 million to settle consolidated class action litigation involving a 2023 LockBit ransomware and data theft attack affecting more than a 500,000 patients and employees.

Analysis of Seized LockBit Data Suggests Victims Who Pay Enjoy More Media CoverageBad news for any organization that's ever paid a ransom in a bid to avoid their breach coming to light, or for a promise from attackers to delete stolen data, with a study of seized LockBit data finding that victims who paid a ransom were more likely to see the attack get detailed in the media.

Treasury Links Russian Bulletproof Host Network to Prolific Ransomware OperationsThe U.S., U.K. and Australia sanctioned Russian bulletproof host Media Land for supporting major ransomware gangs, including LockBit and Play, a move paired with new global guidance urging internet service providers to tighten access controls and disrupt cybercrime infrastructure.

May Database Leak Shows Ransomware Group Taking New ChancesAffiliates of beleaguered ransomware-as-a-service operation LockBit have turned toward Chinese targets, finds an analysis of a May leak of the group's admin panel. LockBit affiliates targeted 156 organizations during that time, the majority of them located in China.

Onslought Also Paved Way for Rise of English-Speaking HackersAn international law enforcement crackdown on the LockBit ransomware group caused fragmentation and distrust among Russian-speaking cybercrime groups, paving the way for English-speaking hacking groups to gain prominence, experts said Tuesday during a London conference.

'Lite Panel' Offering Easy Access to Anyone for Just $777 Confirmed by ResearcherRansomware groups continue to find innovative new ways to shake down organizations large and small in their pursuit of ransom payoffs. For the LockBit group, one tweak was to debut a "lite" version of its ransomware portal that appears to have amassed dozens of very inexperienced business partners.

Exposes Details of Victims, 'Aggressive' Negotiations, Cryptocurrency AddressesOne year to the day after an international law enforcement operation unmasked and indicted the leader of the notorious LockBit ransomware group, a hacker has sent the group another love letter.

Newcomer VanHelsing and a Supposedly Revitalized LockBit Enter Victim-Hunting FrayWhile the vast majority of ransomware attacks lately trace to relatively long-running groups, researchers see new operators entering the fray, lately including a ransomware-as-a-service group calling itself VanHelsing, as well as a fresh version of LockBit.

What Do You Mean, Hospital-Targeting Sociopath Ransomware Wielders Continue to Lie?A ransomware group reusing the Babuk ransomware brand claims to have stolen data from the likes of Amazon, Delta and US Bank. Just one problem: Security experts found a startling overlap between its claimed victims and previous attacks scored by the likes of Clop, LockBit and RansomHub.

Feds Accuse Dual Russian-Israeli National of Serving as Key Member of OperationAn accused developer for Russian-speaking ransomware group LockBit, 51-year-old Rostislav Panev, appeared in a U.S. courtroom after being extradited from Israel. The dual Russian and Israeli citizen faces a 41 count superseding criminal indictment charging him with being a key member of the group.

US, UK and Australia Target Zservers for Supporting LockBit, Other Cybercrime GroupsA Russian bulletproof hosting service used by cybercriminals including the LockBit ransomware group has been sanctioned by Australian, British and American agencies. Zservers has been advertised in criminal forums as an aid to avoid law enforcement investigations and takedowns.

Collapse of LockBit and BlackCat/ALPHV Tied to Ongoing Decline in Big-Game HuntingRansomware may still be raking in massive cryptocurrency profits for practitioners, but 2024 turned out to be less of a banner year than predicted, with blockchain researchers reporting that the sum total of known ransom payments to ransomware groups in 2024 plummeted by 35%.

US Seeks Extradition of Dual Russian and Israeli Citizen Rostislav Panev from IsraelA newly unsealed U.S. federal indictment against Rostislav Panev says the LockBit ransomware operation paid the Israeli national a $10,000 monthly salary for coding and consulting services. Federal prosecutors are seeking Panev's extradition from Israel following his August arrest.

Also: Interpol Says 'Pig Butchering' Shames Victims, A Data Leak Scandal in MexicoThis week, U.S. asks Israel to extradite an alleged LockBit coder, don't say "pig butchering," and an Apache Struts flaw. A hunt for alleged data thieves in Mexico, Europe probes TikTok and Netfilix fined 4.75 million. A ransomware attack against Texas medical centers and a credit union breach.

Suspected LockBit, Babuk Operator Mikhail Matveev Arrested in RussiaA prolific ransomware affiliate hacker and developer is facing criminal charges in Russia, Kremlin media reported Friday. Mikhail Pavlovich Matveev has been wanted by U.S. authorities since 2023 for his role in hacking activities as part of ransomware groups including LockBit, Hive and Babuk.

Operation Cronos Prioritized Disrupting Criminal Trust in the Group, Official SaysWhat does it take to disrupt a major ransomware operation? The effort against LockBit initially prioritized disrupting criminals' trust in the ransomware group, and has since shifted to unmasking affiliates, a Europol's official told attendees at the Hardwear.io security conference in Amsterdam.

Impact is "What We Would Have Hoped For, Says NCSC CTO Ollie WhitehouseA British cybersecurity official touted Operation Cronos, an international operation against LockBit, saying multiple strikes aimed at the ransomware-as-a-service have disrupted its ability to recruit hackers. The operation has resulted in indictments, sanctions, and server takedowns.

UK Police Say Evil Corp 'Right-Hand Man' Was Also a LockBit AffiliateLaw enforcement from the United States, United Kingdom, France and Spain made a coordinated announcement Tuesday of further arrests, indictments, sanctions and server takedowns targeting the Russian cybercriminal underground including strikes against the LockBit ransomware-as-a-service operation.

NoName Specializes in Long-Tail ExploitsUp-and-coming online criminal extortion group RansomHub appears to have a new affiliate - NoName, a midtier actor whose main claim to fame so far has been impersonating the LockBit ransomware-as-a-service operation. NoName is known for exploiting years-old vulnerabilities.