New Ransomware Exploits Malicious Driver to Remove Cybersecurity Protections
GodDamn ransomware uses remote desktop application to secretly move around networks and drop the malicious PoisonX kernel driver
Ransomware encrypts or steals data to disrupt operations and extort victims, making backups, access controls, and incident response essential.
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Ransomware is malware used to deny access to systems or data, usually by encrypting files and demanding payment for decryption. Many operations also steal sensitive information and threaten to publish it, so an attack can create both an availability crisis and a privacy or disclosure risk. Initial access may involve phishing, stolen credentials, exposed remote services, or exploitation of unpatched vulnerabilities; attackers may then move through the network before deploying the payload.
Defenses should combine vulnerability management, phishing-resistant authentication where practical, endpoint and network monitoring, and backups that are isolated from routine administrator access and regularly tested for recovery. Organizations should also limit privileges and segment critical systems to reduce the blast radius. An incident requires rapid containment, preservation of forensic evidence, restoration from known-good backups, and assessment of notification, legal, and regulatory obligations. Threat intelligence can help identify relevant criminal infrastructure or tactics, but it does not replace sound access control, patching, detection, and recovery practices.
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GodDamn ransomware uses remote desktop application to secretly move around networks and drop the malicious PoisonX kernel driver
GodDamn ransomware uses the signed PoisonX driver to disable security tools, marking a more advanced version of the Beast ransomware family. Symantec’s Threat Hunter Team found a new ransomware family called GodDamn that first appeared in the wild on May 21, 2026, and analyzed an attack that took place in early June. The group behind […]
Cybersecurity researchers have flagged a new ransomware family called GodDamn that employs the PoisonX kernel driver to neutralize security software as part of its defense evasion strategy
Microsoft signed a malicious kernel driver, and now it's being used to kill security software in ransomware attacks.