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.
Critical Vulnerability Could Give Attackers Foothold in Clinical NetworksFederal authorities and industry officials are urging healthcare sector entities to address a critical flaw in BeyondTrust Remote Support and Privileged Remote Access software, which if exploited, could give an attacker a foothold inside a hospital or clinic network.
Advantest Corporation disclosed that its corporate network has been targeted in a ransomware attack that may have affected customer or employee data. [...]
Also: AI, Machine Identity Risks; Europe’s Digital Sovereignty PushIn this week's panel, four ISMG editors examined how cybercriminals may be turning on each other, what security leaders are really saying about machine identities and AI risk, and how shifting U.S.-Europe dynamics are reshaping technology resilience and digital sovereignty.
Hackers are actively exploiting the CVE-2026-1731 vulnerability in the BeyondTrust Remote Support product, the U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) warns. [...]
The slower pace of upgrades has the unintended impact of creating a haven for attackers, especially for initial access brokers and ransomware gangs.
The University of Mississippi Medical Center (UMMC) closed all its clinic locations statewide on Thursday following a ransomware attack. [...]
Hospital, ER Open but All Clinics, Elective Care Cancelled Statewide; FBI Called InThe University of Mississippi Medical Center on Thursday said a ransomware attack has triggered its emergency operations plan and forced its hospitals to cancel all clinic and elective procedures at all locations statewide.
Ransomware, Lack of Visibility, Mischaracterizations and Nation-States, Oh MyThere is a silent epidemic of ransomware attacks on commercial operational technology systems, which are mischaracterized as IT incidents even though they impact operational systems, claims a comprehensive annual review of cyberattacks targeting OT, published this week by security firm Dragos.
AI-powered ransomware compresses attacks from weeks to minutes. Michael Villar, director of field security technology at Akamai, says banks need AI-driven segmentation to contain intruders fast, limit lateral movement and protect sensitive data before extortion begins.
Cybercrime Gang Allegedly Stole 4.7 Terabytes of Data, Affecting 2.5MNorton Healthcare, which operates nine hospitals and other care facilities in Kentucky and Indiana, has agreed to pay $11 million to settle class action litigation stemming from a 2023 data theft attack by ransomware-as-a-service gang Alphv/BlackCat that affected nearly 2.5 million people.
Incident Responders Detail Top Ransomware and Business Email Compromise TacticsThere's no need to invest into sophisticated hacking operations when moving fast and exploiting well-trod techniques gives threat actors all the access they want. Threat actors are prioritizing "low-complexity entry points, rather than investing in sophisticated exploits," say incident responders.
Underground Telegram channels shared SmarterMail exploit PoCs and stolen admin credentials within days of disclosure. Flare explains how monitoring these communities reveals rapid weaponization of CVE-2026-24423 and CVE-2026-23760 tied to ransomware activity. [...]
Searchlight Cyber reports a 30% annual increase in ransomware victim numbers in 2025
Cybercrime Group First Listed Ohio Health System as a Data Theft Victim Last JuneOhio-based Kettering Health is notifying current and former patients and "affiliates" that their personal, health and financial information was potentially compromised in a May 2025 ransomware attack and data theft incident claimed by cybercriminal gang Interlock.
Why Reducing Data Volume Matters More Than Ever for SOCs and CISOsData minimization is often perceived as a constraint on innovation. In reality, it is the ultimate enabler of resilience. It reduces the impact of breaches, weakens ransomware leverage, improves SOC efficiency and secures the AI frontier.
Police say seized kit contained logins, passwords, and server IP addresses Polish police have arrested and charged a man over ties to the Phobos ransomware group following a property raid.…
Dragos annual report warns of a surge in ransomware attacks causing increased operational disruption in industrial environments
Polish police have detained a 47-year-old man suspected of ties to the Phobos ransomware group and seized computers and mobile phones containing stolen credentials, credit card numbers, and server access data. [...]
The Washington Hotel brand in Japan has announced that that its servers were compromised in a ransomware attack, exposing various business data. [...]
PLUS: Fake ransomware group exposed; EC blesses Google's big Wiz deal; Alleged sewage hacker cuffed; And more Infosec in Brief The former General Manager of defense contractor L3Harris’s cyber subsidiary Trenchant sold eight zero-day exploit kits to Russia, according to a court filing last week.…