Ransomware encrypts or steals data to disrupt operations and extort victims, making backups, access controls, and incident response essential.
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Background for this topic.
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.
Recorded Future's Liska on What Happens Next When Ransomware Gets Less ProfitableData theft-only ransomware attacks have reached 50% of incidents in Q1 2025, said Allan Liska, senior security architect at Recorded Future. Law enforcement has disrupted the major players, leaving less-skilled actors scrabbling for a payday or stealing information.
Suspected Hacker, Rami Khaled Ahmed, 36, Thought to Be in YemenA Yemini man faces charges in U.S. federal court for being the mastermind behind a rash of ransomware attacks that took advantage of the 2021 Microsoft Exchange flaw known as ProxyLogon. A Los Angeles federal grand jury indicted Rami Khaled Ahmed, 36.
Retailer Continues to Recover From Ransomware IncidentBritish retailer Marks & Spencer was reportedly targeted by financial crime group Scattered Spider, who deployed ransomware on the company's VMware ESXi server. The retailer continues to recover from a cyber incident that disrupted operations in its online and offline stores.
Dragos' Robert Lee on Why Ransomware Groups Target OT for Faster, Larger PayoutsRansomware attacks on OT systems rose to 87% in 2024. With industrial systems becoming more connected and digitized, threat actors are able to scale attacks more effectively across critical infrastructure, said Robert Lee, co-founder and CEO of Dragos.
Enforcement Action Is Latest Under Agency's Ransomware, Risk Analysis InitiativesFederal regulators fined a New York neurology practice $25,000 following an investigation into a 2020 ransomware breach affecting nearly 7,000 individuals. Comprehensive Neurology failed to conduct an accurate and thorough risk analysis, regulators said.