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.
The Play ransomware gang has begun to leak data from the City of Oakland, California, that was stolen in a recent cyberattack. [...]
This week was highlighted by a massive BlackBasta ransomware attack targeting DISH Network and taking down numerous subsidiaries, including SlingTV and Boost Mobile. [...]
CISA and the FBI have issued a joint advisory highlighting the increasing threat behind ongoing Royal ransomware attacks targeting many U.S. critical infrastructure sectors, including healthcare, communications, and education. [...]
The Play ransomware gang has taken responsibility for a cyberattack on the City of Oakland that has disrupted IT systems since mid-February. [...]
Cybersecurity company Bitdefender has released a free MortalKombat ransomware decryptor that victims can use to restore their files without paying a ransom. [...]
Satellite broadcast provider and TV giant Dish Network has finally confirmed that a ransomware attack was the cause of a multi-day network and service outage that started on Friday. [...]
The U.S. Marshals Service (USMS) is investigating the theft of sensitive law enforcement information following a ransomware attack that has impacted what it describes as "a stand-alone USMS system." [...]
Threat actors are promoting a new 'Exfiltrator-22' post-exploitation framework designed to spread ransomware in corporate networks while evading detection. [...]