Security news aggregator

Latest coverage for Ransom

Ransom-related coverage examines extortion demands, data theft, and disruption caused when attackers lock or threaten to expose systems.

6 headlines in this view

Refine the feed

Search across headline titles and summaries.

Tag briefing

Background for this topic.

Ransomware is malicious software that disrupts access to systems or data, typically by encrypting files, to pressure a victim into paying. Modern campaigns may also steal data and threaten to publish it, making the demand a form of extortion even when encryption is unsuccessful. Common access routes include phishing, exposed remote services, stolen credentials, and unpatched vulnerabilities, though no single route is universal.

Important safeguards include regularly tested, offline or otherwise isolated backups; multifactor authentication and least-privilege access; network segmentation; and timely remediation of known, internet-facing vulnerabilities. During an incident, organizations should isolate affected systems, preserve evidence, identify the scope of compromise, and coordinate recovery and legal or regulatory decisions. Payment does not guarantee data recovery or deletion. Threat intelligence may help identify associated infrastructure or available decryptors, while documented recovery plans reduce dependence on an attacker’s demands.

Showing 6 most recent headlines Filtered view

Hackers Constantly Break 'Confirmation of Data Destruction' PromisesWhen a business that stores children's personal data gets hit by data-leaking extortionists, what should it do? For Instructure, which develops online learning platform Canvas, the answer was to pay a ransom, and tell victims, straight-faced, to have "digital confirmation of data destruction."

More from Bank Info Security 14 May 2026, 7:30 a.m. Children Destruction Leak PII Ransom Victims

American educational technology company Instructure, the parent company of Canvas, said it reached an "agreement" with a decentralized cybercrime extortion group after it breached its network and threatened to leak stolen information from thousands of schools and universities

More from The Hacker News 12 May 2026, 7:37 p.m. America Breach Cybercrime Education Extortion Leak Ransom Theft