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 ransomware gang recruits high-profile affiliates from LockBit and ALPHV As RansomHub continues to scoop up top talent from the fallen LockBit and ALPHV operations while accruing a smorgasbord of victims, security and law enforcement agencies in the US feel it's time to issue an official warning about the group that's gunning for ransomware supremacy.…
Feds Count Over 200 Known US Victims of Ransomware Group That Launched in FebruaryBeware a surge in attacks tied to a ransomware group called RansomHub that's recruited affiliates from down-or-out operations LockBit and BlackCat and successfully crypto-locked systems at more than 200 organizations nationwide, including critical infrastructure, the U.S. government warned.
The City of Columbus, Ohio, has filed a lawsuit against security researcher David Leroy Ross, aka Connor Goodwolf, accusing him of illegally downloading and disseminating data stolen from the City's IT network and leaked by the Rhysida ransomware gang. [...]
A comprehensive guide authored by Dean Parsons emphasizes the growing need for specialized ICS security measures in the face of rising cyber threats
Ransomware attacks and email-based fraud account for 80% to 90% of all claims processed by cyber insurers, but a handful of cybersecurity technologies can help prevent big damages.
The RansomHub ransomware gang is behind the recent cyberattack on oil and gas services giant Halliburton, which disrupted the company's IT systems and business operations. [...]
In a joint advisory, CISA and the FBI described the activity as a likely attempt by the group to monetize access to networks it already has compromised.
Since surfacing in February 2024, RansomHub ransomware affiliates have breached over 200 victims from a wide range of critical U.S. infrastructure sectors. [...]
French police reckon financial system targeted during Summer Games Nearly four weeks after the cyberattack on dozens of French national museums during the Olympic Games, the Brain Cipher ransomware group claims responsibility for the incident and says 300 GB of data will be leaked later today.…
U.S. cybersecurity and intelligence agencies have called out an Iranian hacking group for breaching multiple organizations across the country and coordinating with affiliates to deliver ransomware
CISA and the FBI warned that Iranian APT group, Fox Kitten, has helped ransomware groups to attack US organizations since 2017
New Reports and Joint Advisory Warn of Growing Cybersecurity Threats Linked to IranA joint advisory from the FBI and Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, as well as reports published Wednesday by Microsoft and the Google-owned cybersecurity firm Mandiant, are all warning of emerging cybersecurity threats associated with the Iranian regime.
The pivot is one of several changes the groups using the malware have used in recent attacks.
The malicious PoorTry kernel-mode Windows driver used by multiple ransomware gangs to turn off Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR) solutions has evolved into an EDR wiper, deleting files crucial for the operation of security solutions and making restoration harder. [...]
The government-backed crew also enjoys ransomware as a side hustle Iranian government-backed cybercriminals have been hacking into US and foreign networks as recently as this month to steal sensitive data and deploy ransomware, and they're breaking in via vulnerable VPN and firewall devices from Check Point, Citrix, Palo Alto Networks and other manufacturers, according to Uncle Sam.…
An Iran-based hacking group known as Pioneer Kitten is breaching defense, education, finance, and healthcare organizations across the United States and working with affiliates of several ransomware operations to extort the victims. [...]
Ransomware attacks on US schools and colleges have surged, with 491 incidents since 2018, affecting over 8000 institutions
The threat actors behind the BlackByte ransomware group have been observed likely exploiting a recently patched security flaw impacting VMware ESXi hypervisors, while also leveraging various vulnerable drivers to disarm security protections
Young Consulting is sending data breach notifications to 954,177 people who had their information exposed in a BlackSuit ransomware attack on April 10, 2024. [...]
The U.S. Marshals Service (USMS) denies its systems were breached by the Hunters International ransomware gang after being listed as a new victim on the cybercrime group's leak site on Monday. [...]