All news with #ransomware tag

🔒 The Kraken ransomware targets Windows and Linux/VMware ESXi hosts and runs on-host benchmarks to decide whether to perform full or partial encryption. Cisco Talos researchers found it creates temporary files, times encryption of random data, and uses the result to select an encryption mode that maximizes damage while avoiding overloads. Before encrypting it deletes shadow volumes, stops backup services, appends .zpsc to files, and drops a readme_you_ws_hacked.txt ransom note. The group continues big‑game hunting and data theft for double extortion and has launched a forum called 'The Last Haven Board'.

🛡️ U.S. cybersecurity agencies warn that the Akira ransomware operation has expanded to encrypt Nutanix AHV virtual machine disk files, with the first confirmed incident in June 2025. Akira Linux encryptors have been observed targeting .qcow2 virtual disk files directly rather than using AHV management commands. The advisory cites exploitation of SonicWall CVE-2024-40766 and includes new IOCs and mitigation recommendations.

🔍 The ransomware landscape in Q3 2025 reached a critical inflection point: despite law enforcement takedowns earlier in the year, attacks remained at historically high levels. Check Point Research identified 1,592 new victims across 85 active extortion groups, a 25% year‑over‑year increase. While major brands such as RansomHub and 8Base disappeared, numerous smaller actors rapidly filled the void, driving unprecedented RaaS fragmentation and complicating response efforts.

🔐 CISA and partner agencies published an updated advisory on Nov. 13, 2025, detailing new indicators, tactics, and detection guidance related to Akira ransomware. The update documents expanded targeting across Manufacturing, Education, IT, Healthcare, Financial, and Food and Agriculture, and links activity to groups such as Storm-1567 and Punk Spider. Key findings include exploitation of edge and backup vulnerabilities, use of remote management tools for defense evasion, and a faster, more destructive Akira_v2 variant that complicates recovery.

🛡️ CISA, FBI, DC3, HHS and international partners released updated guidance to help organizations mitigate the evolving Akira ransomware threat. The advisory details new indicators of compromise (IOCs) and tactics, techniques, and procedures (TTPs) used by the group, which primarily targets small and medium-sized businesses but has also struck larger organizations across multiple sectors. It strongly urges immediate actions such as regular backups, enforcing multifactor authentication, and prioritizing remediation of known exploited vulnerabilities.

🐙 Kraken is a Russian-speaking ransomware group active since February 2025 that conducts double-extortion, big-game hunting campaigns across multiple regions. In a documented intrusion Talos observed, attackers exploited SMB flaws for access, used Cloudflared for persistence, exfiltrated data via SSHFS, then deployed cross-platform encryptors for Windows, Linux and ESXi. The family includes on-host benchmarking to tune encryption, and Talos maps detections and IOCs to Cisco protections to aid response.

🔍 The UK cyber insurance sector paid £197m to policyholders in 2024, a 230% increase on the previous year, driven largely by more damaging malware and ransomware incidents that now account for 51% of claims. The ABI says insurers issued 17% more policies over the period while higher payouts reflect growing threat sophistication and larger recovery costs. Insurers are tightening underwriting and requiring stronger resilience, offering services such as expert advice, threat monitoring and incident response support as part of coverage to reduce future losses.

🔒 Synnovis has notified NHS organisations that a June 2024 ransomware incident resulted in the theft of patient data, including names, NHS numbers, dates of birth, and some test results. The company says the exfiltrated files were unstructured and fragmented, requiring specialist analysis to reassemble. Synnovis confirmed no ransom was paid, is coordinating notifications with affected trusts and expects to complete notifications by 21 November 2025. The incident has been linked to the Qilin ransomware operation.

🔐 Researchers at S-RM report a surge in activity by the Qilin ransomware-as-a-service operation, which leverages unpatched VPNs, single-factor remote access and exposed management interfaces to gain initial access. While some high-profile incidents hit healthcare, most victims are small-to-medium businesses in construction, healthcare and finance. S-RM also observed affiliates from Scattered Spider using Qilin’s platform, and noted new extortion channels including Telegram and public leak sites. The firm urges routine patching, widespread MFA adoption, network segmentation and proactive monitoring.

🔍 Varonis responded after a server CPU spike exposed an active intrusion later attributed to RansomHub affiliates. The attacker gained initial access via a SocGholish JavaScript masquerading as a browser update, then deployed a persistent Python-based SOCKS proxy and automated reconnaissance to hunt credentials and enumerate Active Directory. Within hours the actor obtained Domain Admin privileges and initiated broad discovery and exfiltration; Varonis developed an unpacker, identified IOCs, and coordinated containment and remediation that prevented ransomware with zero downtime.

📈 Check Point Research found a continued uptick in global cyber assaults in October 2025, with organizations experiencing an average of 1,938 attacks per week. That represents a 2% increase from September and a 5% rise year‑over‑year. The report attributes the growth to an explosive expansion of ransomware operations and emerging risks tied to generative AI, while the education sector remained the most heavily targeted. Security teams are urged to strengthen detection, patching and access controls to counter increasingly automated and AI‑assisted threats.

🔒 Aleksey Olegovich Volkov, a Russian national who used aliases including chubaka.kor and nets, has agreed to plead guilty to acting as an initial access broker for the Yanluowang ransomware group. Between July 2021 and November 2022 he sold credentials that enabled intrusions at eight U.S. companies and facilitated ransom demands ranging from $300,000 to $15 million. FBI warrants seized server logs, stolen data, chat histories and iCloud records linking Volkov to the scheme and to partial Bitcoin payments. He faces up to 53 years in prison and must pay more than $9.1 million in restitution.

🔒 A Russian national has pleaded guilty to acting as an initial access broker for the Yanluowang ransomware group, admitting to selling corporate network access used in attacks on at least eight U.S. companies between July 2021 and November 2022. FBI searches of a server tied to the operation recovered chat logs, stolen files, and victim credentials that linked payments and access to the defendant. Investigators traced the suspect through Apple iCloud data, cryptocurrency exchange records, and social media accounts, and blockchain analysis tied portions of ransom payments to addresses he provided. He faces decades in prison and more than $9.1 million in restitution.

🔒 Security researcher Secure Annex discovered a malicious extension in the Microsoft Marketplace that embeds "Ransomvibe" ransomware for Visual Studio Code. Once the extension activates, a zipUploadAndEcnrypt routine runs, applying typical ransomware techniques and using hard-coded C2 URLs, encryption keys and bundled decryption tools. The package appears to be a test build, limiting immediate impact, but researchers warn it can be updated or triggered remotely. Microsoft has removed the extension and says it will blacklist and uninstall malicious extensions.

🎧 RTV Noord, a regional Dutch TV and radio broadcaster, reported a cyber incident on November 6, 2025, that blocked staff access to critical systems. Presenters on the "De Ochtendploeg" breakfast show resorted to playing CDs and LPs to stay on air. The attackers left a message on the network, prompting suspicion of ransomware, and the newsroom confirmed internal channels were limited to WhatsApp while services were restored.

⚠️ A proof-of-concept ransomware strain dubbed Ransomvibe was published as a Visual Studio Code extension and remained available in the VSCode Marketplace after being reported. Secure Annex analysts found the package included blatant indicators of malicious functionality — hardcoded C2 URLs, encryption keys, compression and exfiltration routines — alongside included decryptors and source files. The extension used a private GitHub repository as a command-and-control channel, and researchers say its presence highlights failures in Microsoft’s marketplace review process.

🔒 A malicious VS Code extension named susvsex, published by 'suspublisher18', was listed on Microsoft's official marketplace and included basic ransomware features such as AES-256-CBC encryption and exfiltration to a hardcoded C2. Secure Annex researcher John Tuckner identified AI-generated artifacts in the code and reported it, but Microsoft did not remove the extension. The extension also polled a private GitHub repo for commands using a hardcoded PAT.

🔒 The State of Nevada published a detailed after-action report describing how attackers used a trojanized system administration utility to establish persistent access and deploy ransomware across state infrastructure. The initial compromise occurred on May 14 and was detected on August 24, impacting more than 60 agencies and prompting a 28-day recovery that restored 90% of required data without paying a ransom. Nevada engaged external responders including Microsoft DART and Mandiant, and has since implemented account cleanups, password resets, certificate removals, and tightened access controls.

🔒 The Cybersecurity Forecast 2026 synthesizes frontline telemetry and expert analysis from Google Cloud security teams to outline the most significant threats and defensive shifts for the coming year. The report emphasizes how adversaries will broadly adopt AI to scale attacks, with specific risks including prompt injection and AI-enabled social engineering. It also highlights persistent cybercrime trends—ransomware, extortion, and on-chain resiliency—and evolving nation‑state campaigns. Organizations are urged to adapt IAM, secure AI agents, and harden virtualization controls to stay ahead.

🛡️Wazuh is a free, open-source security platform that provides SIEM and XDR capabilities to detect, prevent, and respond to ransomware. The article highlights Wazuh features such as file integrity monitoring, vulnerability detection, security configuration assessment, and automated active responses. It illustrates rule-based detections and automated remediation using practical examples (DOGE Big Balls, Gunra) and discusses Windows integration for VSS-based recovery. The coverage frames Wazuh as a practical, extensible tool for multi-layered ransomware defense.