All news with #ransomware tag

GootLoader Returns Using Custom Font to Conceal Payload

🔍 Huntress observed the return of GootLoader infections beginning October 27, 2025, with two cases leading to hands-on keyboard intrusions and domain controller compromise within 17 hours. The loader now embeds a custom WOFF2 font using Z85 encoding to substitute glyphs and render obfuscated filenames readable only in the victim browser. Actors deliver XOR-encrypted ZIPs via compromised WordPress comment endpoints and SEO-poisoned search results, and the archive is crafted to appear as benign text to many automated analysis tools while extracting a JavaScript payload on Windows.

GlobalLogic warns 10,000 employees of Oracle data theft

🔒 GlobalLogic is notifying 10,471 current and former employees that personal data was stolen after attackers exploited an Oracle E-Business Suite zero-day. The compromised HR information includes names, contact details, birthdates, passport and tax identifiers, salary and bank account information. The incident aligns with a wider extortion campaign linked to the Clop ransomware group exploiting CVE-2025-61882.

CPU Spike Reveals RansomHub Intrusion Before Ransomware

🔍 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.

Global Cyber Attacks Surge in October 2025: Ransomware Rise

📈 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.

Cyber spies target German public administration, says BSI

🔒 The German Federal Office for Information Security (BSI) reports that cyber espionage is increasingly targeting public administration, with notable victims in defense, judiciary and public safety. The 1 July 2024–30 June 2025 report notes law-enforcement actions against ransomware providers LockBit and Alphv but warns many incidents go unreported. It highlights rising quishing and vishing attacks, insufficient basic protections—especially among SMEs and political organizations—and calls for stronger investment and reduced dependence on U.S. infrastructure.

Yanluowang Access Broker Pleads Guilty in Ransomware Case

🔒 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.

Yanluowang Broker Pleads Guilty to Ransomware Access

🔒 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.

Vibe-coded Ransomware Found in Microsoft VS Code Marketplace

🔒 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.

Weekly Recap: Hidden VMs, AI Leaks, and Mobile Spyware

🛡️ This week's recap highlights sophisticated, real-world threats that bypass conventional defenses. Actors like Curly COMrades abused Hyper-V to run a hidden Alpine Linux VM and execute payloads outside the host OS, evading EDR/XDR. Microsoft disclosed the Whisper Leak AI side-channel that infers chat topics from encrypted traffic, and a patched Samsung zero-day was weaponized to deploy LANDFALL spyware to select Galaxy devices. Time-delayed NuGet logic bombs, a new criminal alliance (SLH), and ongoing RMM and supply-chain abuses underscore rising coordination and stealth—prioritize detection and mitigations now.

Cyberattack Halts Dutch Broadcaster, Forces Vinyl Use

🎧 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.

Malicious Ransomvibe Extension Found in VSCode Marketplace

⚠️ 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.

Integrating Business Continuity and Cybersecurity Strategies

🔐 Executives must treat cybersecurity and business continuity as a unified discipline rather than separate functions. Drawing on six years managing high-availability systems at Amazon, the author warns that attackers increasingly target recovery and backup infrastructure, turning outages into leverage. The article advocates network segmentation, air-gapped and offline backups, and integrated incident-response and recovery testing to protect operations and reputation.

Enterprise Credentials at Risk: Same Old Compromise Cycle

🔐 The article outlines how everyday credential reuse and phishing feed a persistent compromise lifecycle: credentials are created, stolen, aggregated, tested, and ultimately exploited. It details common vectors — phishing, credential stuffing, third-party breaches, and leaked API keys — and describes criminal marketplaces, botnets, opportunistic fraudsters, and organized crime as distinct actors. Consequences include account takeover, lateral movement, data theft, resource abuse, and ransomware, and the piece urges immediate action such as scanning for leaked credentials with tools like Outpost24's Credential Checker.

Malicious VS Code Extension and Trojanized npm Packages

⚠️ Researchers flagged a malicious Visual Studio Code extension named susvsex that auto-zips, uploads and encrypts files on first launch and uses GitHub as a command-and-control channel. Uploaded on November 5, 2025 and removed from Microsoft's VS Code Marketplace the next day, the package embeds GitHub access tokens and writes execution results back to a repository. Separately, Datadog disclosed 17 trojanized npm packages that deploy the Vidar infostealer via postinstall scripts.

Susvsex Ransomware Test Published on VS Code Marketplace

🔒 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.

Ransomware Breach: How Nevada's Systems Were Encrypted

🔒 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.

Nikkei Slack Account Compromise Exposes Employee Data

🔒 Nikkei disclosed that unauthorized actors used malware to infect an employee’s computer, obtain Slack credentials, and access accounts on the company's Slack workspace. The firm reports that data for possibly more than 17,000 employees and business partners — including names, email addresses and chat logs — may have been stolen. Nikkei discovered the incident in September and implemented password resets and other remediation measures. The company said there's no confirmation that sources or journalistic activities were affected.

Hacktivist DDoS Drives Majority of Public Sector Attacks

🛡️ ENISA's study of 586 public administration incidents found DDoS attacks made up roughly 60% of events, with 63% attributed to hacktivist groups. Central government incidents accounted for 69% of the total, while data breaches (17%) and ransomware (10%) caused disproportionate disruption. ENISA warns the sector's low maturity and recent inclusion in NIS2 increase risk and recommends CDNs/WAFs for DDoS mitigation, MFA/PAM/DLP for data protection, and EDR, segmentation and backups to combat ransomware.

ThreatsDay Bulletin: Cybercrime Trends and Major Incidents

🛡️ This bulletin catalogues a broad set of 2025 incidents showing cybercrime’s increasing real-world impacts. Microsoft patched three Windows GDI flaws (CVE-2025-30388, CVE-2025-53766, CVE-2025-47984) rooted in gdiplus.dll and gdi32full.dll, while Check Point warned partial fixes can leave data leaks lingering. Threat actors expanded toolsets and infrastructure — from RondoDox’s new exploits and TruffleNet’s AWS abuse to FIN7’s SSH backdoor and sophisticated phishing campaigns — and law enforcement action ranged from large fraud takedowns to prison sentences and cross-border crackdowns.

AI-Powered Malware Emerges: Google Details New Threats

🛡️ Google Threat Intelligence Group (GTIG) reports that cybercriminals are actively integrating large language models into malware campaigns, moving beyond mere tooling to generate, obfuscate, and adapt malicious code. GTIG documents new families — including PROMPTSTEAL, PROMPTFLUX, FRUITSHELL, and PROMPTLOCK — that query commercial APIs to produce or rewrite payloads and evade detection. Researchers also note attackers use social‑engineering prompts to trick LLMs into revealing sensitive guidance and that underground marketplaces increasingly offer AI-enabled “malware-as-a-service,” lowering the bar for less skilled threat actors.