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 dual Russian and Israeli national has been charged in the United States for allegedly being the developer of the now-defunct LockBit ransomware-as-a-service (RaaS) operation since its inception in or around 2019 through at least February 2024
US Seeks Extradition of Dual Russian and Israeli Citizen Rostislav Panev from IsraelA newly unsealed U.S. federal indictment against Rostislav Panev says the LockBit ransomware operation paid the Israeli national a $10,000 monthly salary for coding and consulting services. Federal prosecutors are seeking Panev's extradition from Israel following his August arrest.
Looking Back on the Ransomware Attacks, Resilience Lessons and Tech TrendsIn the latest weekly update, ISMG editors discussed defining cybersecurity moments of 2024, from the CrowdStrike outage and its implications for vendor resilience to ransomware's continued evolution, and the shifting dynamics in the tech industry affecting startups and M&A activity.
Missouri-Based Hospital Chain Initially Reported That Attack Affected Only 500Seven months after a ransomware disrupted its IT systems for weeks, Catholic hospital chain Ascension Health is now notifying nearly 5.6 million current and former patients and employees that the incident - which also involved data theft - potentially compromised their information.
Daniel Hulea Orchestrated Attacks Targeting Businesses During the COVID-19 PandemicA U.S. federal court sentenced a Romanian man to 20 years in a U.S. prison for his role in Netwalker ransomware attacks including against healthcare and education sectors during the novel coronavirus pandemic, extorting millions of dollars from victims worldwide.
Dual Russian-Israeli national Rostislav Panev was arrested last August and is facing extradition to the US for playing a critical role in LockBit's RaaS activities, dating back to the ransomware gang's origins.
The US Department of Justice has charged a Russian-Israeli dual-national for his suspected role in developing malware and managing the infrastructure for the notorious LockBit ransomware group. [...]
The Play ransomware gang has claimed responsibility for a cyberattack that impacted the business operations of the U.S. doughnut chain Krispy Kreme in November. [...]
The LockBitSupp persona said LockBit 4.0 will be launched in February 2025
Ascension, one of the largest private U.S. healthcare systems, is notifying over 5.6 million patients and employees that their personal and health data was stolen in a May cyberattack linked to the Black Basta ransomware operation. [...]
A Dragos report observed 23 new ransomware groups targeting industrial organizations in Q3 2024
Daniel Christian Hulea, a Romanian man charged for his involvement in NetWalker ransomware attacks, was sentenced to 20 years in prison after pleading guilty to computer fraud conspiracy and wire fraud conspiracy in June. [...]
Also: Interpol Says 'Pig Butchering' Shames Victims, A Data Leak Scandal in MexicoThis week, U.S. asks Israel to extradite an alleged LockBit coder, don't say "pig butchering," and an Apache Struts flaw. A hunt for alleged data thieves in Mexico, Europe probes TikTok and Netfilix fined 4.75 million. A ransomware attack against Texas medical centers and a credit union breach.
At Least 200 Servers Still Vulnerable as Ransomware Group Claims Mass ExploitsMore than 200 Cleo managed file-transfer servers remain internet-exposed and unpatched, despite warnings of a mass attack targeting critical vulnerabilities in the widely used software. The Clop ransomware operation, which has repeatedly targeted MFT software, claimed credit for the attacks.
CISOs at Organizations That Fell Victim Have a Different Story, 451 Research FindsAre your defenses against ransomware good enough to survive contact with the enemy? Don't be so sure. A new study from market researcher 451 Research finds that "overconfidence in security tooling remains an issue in the face of ransomware" for organizations that haven't yet fallen victim.
But can you really take crims at their word? Supply chain integration vendor Cleo has urged its customers to upgrade three of its products after an October security update was circumvented, leading to widespread ransomware attacks that Russia-linked gang Cl0p has claimed are its evil work.…
File-Transfer Software Being Exploited by One or More Groups; Vendor Pushes PatchesThe ransomware group Clop is claiming credit for the mass exploitation of managed file-transfer software built by Cleo Communications, following on from the similar targeting of MOVEit file-transfer in 2023. Many large organizations rely on the MFT server software to securely transfer files.
Rhode Island is warning that its RIBridges system, managed by Deloitte, suffered a data breach exposing residents' personal information after the Brain Cipher ransomware gang hacked its systems. [...]
The Clop ransomware gang has confirmed to BleepingComputer that they are behind the recent Cleo data-theft attacks, utilizing zero-day exploits to breach corporate networks and steal data. [...]