AI-Slop ransomware test sneaks on to VS Code marketplace
A malicious extension with basic ransomware capabilities seemingly created with the help of AI, has been published on Microsoft's official VS Code marketplace. [...]
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.
A malicious extension with basic ransomware capabilities seemingly created with the help of AI, has been published on Microsoft's official VS Code marketplace. [...]
The State of Nevada has completed its recovery from a ransomware attack it suffered on August 24, 2025, which impacted 60 state agencies, disrupting critical services related to health and public safety. [...]
The Apache Software Foundation disputes claims that its OpenOffice project suffered an Akira ransomware attack, after the threat actors claimed to have stolen 23 GB of corporate documents. [...]
Three former employees of cybersecurity incident response companies DigitalMint and Sygnia have been indicted for allegedly hacking the networks of five U.S. companies in BlackCat (ALPHV) ransomware attacks between May 2023 and November 2023. [...]