Tag: ransomware

A new ransomware called Ymir was discovered during an incident response case. It uses memory operations to evade detection and employs the ChaCha20 cipher for encryption. The attackers gained initial access via PowerShell commands and installed tools like Process Hacker before deploying Ymir. The r…

A new ransomware called Ymir was discovered during an incident response case. It uses memory operations to evade detection and employs the ChaCha20 cipher for encryption. The attackers gained initial access via PowerShell commands and installed tools like Process Hacker before deploying Ymir. The r…

A new ransomware group called Interlock has emerged, targeting various sectors with big-game hunting and double extortion attacks. The group uses a sophisticated delivery chain including a RAT disguised as a browser updater, PowerShell scripts, credential stealers, and keyloggers. They primarily mo…

LUNAR SPIDER, a Russian-speaking financially motivated threat group, has resumed operations following law enforcement disruptions. They've shifted from using IcedID to leveraging Latrodectus and Brute Ratel C4 malware, targeting financial services through SEO poisoning malvertising campaigns. The g…

A Chinese hacking group called 'You Dun' was discovered through an exposed open directory, revealing their comprehensive attack infrastructure. The group utilized sophisticated reconnaissance tools and exploited Zhiyuan OA software via SQL injection attacks, targeting South Korean pharmaceutical or…

An open directory exposed a Chinese-speaking threat actor's toolkit and operational history. The actor conducted extensive scanning and exploitation targeting organizations in South Korea, China, Thailand, Taiwan, and Iran using tools like WebLogicScan, Vulmap, and Xray. The Viper C2 framework and …

CISA proposes new security measures to protect sensitive data from adversary nations, following President Biden's Executive Order. A free file recovery tool for early Mallox ransomware victims is released. A novel macOS ransomware, macOS.NotLockBit, is discovered abusing AWS S3 for data exfiltratio…

Since early August, there has been a significant increase in Fog and Akira ransomware intrusions targeting SonicWall SSL VPN users across various industries. The attacks appear opportunistic rather than targeting specific sectors. All affected devices lacked patches for CVE-2024-40766. Initial acce…

ESET researchers have uncovered new Rust-based tools used by the Embargo ransomware group. The toolkit includes MDeployer, a loader that deploys MS4Killer and Embargo ransomware, and MS4Killer, an EDR killer that exploits a vulnerable driver. Embargo, first observed in June 2024, is a relatively ne…

Security researchers have detected new attacks involving the Bumblebee malware loader, just four months after Europol disrupted its operations in Operation Endgame. The malware has resurfaced with updated tactics, using MSI files disguised as legitimate software installers to deliver its payload di…

Akira ransomware has established itself as a prominent threat, constantly evolving its tactics. Initially employing double-extortion, it shifted focus to data exfiltration in early 2024. The group developed a Rust variant of their ESXi encryptor, moving away from C++. Recently, Akira has returned t…

A new ransomware called Fog has been identified, affecting education and recreation centers in the United States. The threat actors gain access through compromised VPN credentials, disable Windows Defender, and deploy the ransomware. Fog is a 32-bit EXE file compiled using Microsoft Visual C/C++. I…

The Crypt Ghouls group is targeting Russian businesses and government agencies with ransomware attacks. They utilize a toolkit including utilities like Mimikatz, XenAllPasswordPro, PingCastle, and others. The group employs LockBit 3.0 and Babuk ransomware as final payloads. Initial access is often …

This analysis provides an in-depth look into the operations of the Cicada3301 Ransomware-as-a-Service (RaaS) group. It details the workflow of their affiliates within the panel and examines the multi-platform capabilities of their ransomware, encompassing Windows, Linux, ESXi, and even uncommon arc…

This report discusses malicious Golang ransomware samples that exploit Amazon S3's Transfer Acceleration feature to exfiltrate victims' data and upload it to attacker-controlled S3 buckets. The samples contained hard-coded AWS credentials linked to compromised accounts, allowing the researchers to …

Lynx ransomware, discovered in July 2024, is a successor to INC ransomware targeting organizations in retail, real estate, architecture, and financial services in the U.S. and UK. It shares significant source code with INC and operates as a ransomware-as-a-service model. Lynx employs double extorti…

The United States has experienced a significant increase in cyber attacks from June to October 2024, with over 800 organizations affected by ransomware across various sectors. Play, RansomHub, Lockbit, Qilin, and Meow have emerged as the most active ransomware groups. Notable incidents include the …

Insikt Group unveiled Rhysida's complex infrastructure, comprising typo-squatted domains for SEO poisoning, payload servers, CleanUpLoader C2 infrastructure, and higher-tier components including an admin panel and Zabbix monitoring server. This multi-tiered setup enables early victim identification…

Over the past year, the delivery of Lua malware appears to have undergone simplification, possibly to reduce exposure to detection mechanisms. The malware is frequently delivered using obfuscated Lua scripts instead of compiled Lua bytecode, as the latter can trigger suspicion more easily.

The Dark Angels ransomware group, active since April 2022, operates with sophisticated strategies targeting large companies for substantial ransom demands. They focus on stealthy attacks, avoiding outsourcing to third-party brokers. The group uses various ransomware payloads, including Babuk and Re…

A financially motivated threat actor has been active since 2022, delivering a MedusaLocker ransomware variant called 'BabyLockerKZ'. The group targets organizations worldwide, with a focus shift from EU countries to South American countries in mid-2023. The actor uses a combination of publicly know…

Akira is a prolific ransomware operating since March 2023, targeting multiple industries in North America, the UK, and Australia. It functions as Ransomware as a Service (RaaS) and employs double extortion tactics. Akira has connections to the disbanded Conti group, sharing code similarities and op…

Key Group, also known as keygroup777, is a financially motivated ransomware group primarily targeting Russian users. The group has been active since 2022, using various leaked ransomware builders and wipers, including Xorist, Chaos, Annabelle, Slam, RuRansom, UX-Cryptor, Hakuna Matata, and Judge/No…

Key Group is a financially motivated ransomware group primarily targeting Russian users. They use various leaked ransomware builders including Chaos, Xorist, Annabelle, Slam, RuRansom, UX-Cryptor, Hakuna Matata, and Judge/NoCry. The group's activity has been tracked since April 2022, with their tac…

A BlackCat ransomware intrusion began with a Nitrogen malware campaign impersonating Advanced IP Scanner. The attackers used Sliver and Cobalt Strike beacons for post-exploitation, leveraging Python scripts for memory loading. They performed network enumeration using various tools and moved lateral…

A new ransomware threat, dubbed Rast, has emerged targeting Chinese government and enterprises since December 2023. Written in Rust, Rast has infected over 6,800 terminals, successfully encrypting more than 5,700. The Rast gang, named after the ransomware, operates primarily between 20:00 and 05:00…

Microsoft has observed Storm-0501, a financially motivated cybercriminal group, conducting multi-staged attacks targeting hybrid cloud environments. The group compromises on-premises networks, performs lateral movement to cloud environments, exfiltrates data, steals credentials, creates persistent …

The report examines the BlackJack hacktivist group targeting Russian organizations, focusing on their tools, techniques, and connections to the Twelve group. BlackJack employs freely available software like the Shamoon wiper and LockBit ransomware. Significant overlaps with Twelve include similar m…

Black Basta is a ransomware-as-a-service group that emerged in April 2022, known for double extortion tactics. They target organizations globally, particularly in North America, Europe, and Australia, affecting over 500 entities across various industries. Initial access is gained through phishing, …

Medusa is a prominent ransomware group that emerged in 2023, targeting sectors such as healthcare, manufacturing, and education across multiple countries. Unlike typical ransomware operators, Medusa maintains a presence on both the dark web and surface web, including social media platforms. The gro…

ShrinkLocker is a new ransomware strain that exploits Windows BitLocker to encrypt targeted data. Unlike typical ransomware, it abuses this legitimate feature to create a secure boot partition, locking users out unless a ransom is paid. The malware performs system checks, modifies registry entries,…

A recent analysis by the ThreatDown MDR team has uncovered a novel attack method employed by the RansomHub ransomware gang. The attackers are utilizing two tools: TDSSKiller, a legitimate Kaspersky rootkit removal utility, to disable endpoint detection and response (EDR) systems, and LaZagne, a cre…

The Scattered Spider cybercriminal group is targeting cloud infrastructures in the insurance and financial sectors using advanced techniques. They exploit leaked authentication tokens, conduct phishing and smishing campaigns, and leverage SIM swapping to bypass multi-factor authentication. The grou…

Repellent Scorpius is a new ransomware-as-a-service group distributing Cicada3301 ransomware. It emerged in May 2024 and employs double extortion tactics involving data theft. The report covers a technical analysis of the Cicada3301 ransomware, the group's tactics, connections to historical inciden…

Mallox is a sophisticated ransomware family that emerged in 2021 and has since evolved into a Ransomware-as-a-Service (RaaS) operation. Initially targeting specific companies, it transitioned to a more generic approach, likely as part of its RaaS model. The malware employs complex encryption scheme…

Head Mare is a hacktivist group targeting companies in Russia and Belarus since 2023. They use phishing campaigns exploiting the CVE-2023-38831 vulnerability in WinRAR for initial access. Their toolkit includes custom malware like PhantomDL and PhantomCore, as well as publicly available tools like …

This advisory outlines the activities of an Iran-based cyber threat group that has conducted numerous intrusions against organizations in the United States and other countries since 2017, with the goal of obtaining network access to facilitate ransomware attacks. The group, known by various names s…

The BlackByte ransomware group continues leveraging established tactics and vulnerable drivers to bypass security controls, while also incorporating newly disclosed vulnerabilities and using stolen credentials for propagation. A new iteration of their encryptor appends the 'blackbytent_h' extension…

The report meticulously chronicles a sophisticated intrusion which began in December 2023 and culminated in the deployment of BlackSuit ransomware approximately 15 days later. The threat actor demonstrated an array of tactics, leveraging tools like Cobalt Strike, Sharphound, and SystemBC, alongside…

This report details how Trend Micro's Managed Detection and Response (MDR) service successfully thwarted a sophisticated ransomware attack orchestrated by the notorious Play ransomware group. Through continuous monitoring and expert analysis, the MDR team swiftly identified and contained the intrus…

CloudSEK's threat research team uncovered a ransomware attack impacting banks and payment providers in India. The attack, initiated through a compromised Jenkins server at Brontoo Technology Solutions, is attributed to the RansomEXX ransomware group. This sophisticated threat actor employs tactics …

An analysis by security researchers has uncovered the existence of a new tool called EDRKillShifter, which is used by threat actors to disable endpoint protection software during ransomware attacks. The tool is designed to terminate antivirus and endpoint detection and response (EDR) solutions on t…

This analysis revisits the anti-analysis techniques employed by recent variants of the Play ransomware, which is known for targeting industries like healthcare and telecommunications across various regions. The report explains how the ransomware utilizes techniques like return-oriented programming …

This analysis examines the emergence of DeathGrip, a Ransomware-as-a-Service (RaaS) operation that provides threat actors with easy access to sophisticated ransomware builders like LockBit 3.0 and Yashma/Chaos. The accessibility of these tools enables even those with minimal technical skills to lau…

The analysis reveals a sophisticated campaign employing fake PayPal receipts as lures to distribute a new variant of the Cronus ransomware. The infection chain begins with a malicious Word document containing an obfuscated VBA macro that downloads a PowerShell loader from a remote server. This load…

Quorum Cyber's Incident Response team discovered a novel malware, SharpRhino, used by the threat actor Hunters International as an initial infection vector and Remote Access Trojan (RAT). This malware, coded in C#, is delivered via a typosquatting domain impersonating Angry IP Scanner. Upon executi…

This intelligence analysis examines the Black Basta ransomware campaign, which has significantly impacted businesses and critical infrastructure across North America, Europe, and Australia. The report highlights Infoblox's ability to identify and block over 78% of the malicious domains associated w…

An in-depth analysis examined a threat actor utilizing Akira ransomware to compromise a Latin American airline. The attacker gained initial network access via SSH, exploiting a vulnerability in Veeam backup software, and subsequently exfiltrated critical data before deploying the ransomware payload…

An analysis reveals a basic ransomware campaign targeting Turkish enterprises. The attack commences with a malicious PDF attachment delivered via email, containing a link that downloads an executable payload. This executable then drops further components, including a .NET binary obfuscated with dot…

While the vulnerability CVE-2023-27532 was made public in March 2023 and subsequently patched by Veeam for versions 12/11a and later for Veeam Backup & Replication software, Group-IB’s Digital Forensics and Incident Response (DFIR) team recently observed a notable incident related to this vulnerabi…

The intelligence report delves into the evolving tactics and operations of the BianLian ransomware group, which has emerged as one of the top three most active ransomware groups. It details the group's shift from encryption tactics to a steal-and-extort model after a decryptor was released. The ana…

While overall activity levels dipped slightly in the first quarter of 2024, the number of claimed attacks remained high, with LockBit accounting for over 20%. The report explores the changing tactics employed by ransomware actors, including the exploitation of vulnerabilities, the use of Bring-Your…

Researchers have uncovered a cryptographic flaw in the DoNex ransomware and its previous iterations, allowing for the creation of a decryptor tool. Initially discovered in March 2024, this cryptographic weakness was made public at Recon 2024. The ransomware, which has undergone several rebrands sin…

This report provides an in-depth analysis of the BlackSuit ransomware, a threat that has been actively targeting various sectors since May 2023. It presents statistics from incident response engagements, explores the ransomware's behavior and technical analysis, and offers insights into the potenti…

The report analyzes the Mallox ransomware, which has been active since mid-2021 and focuses on multi-extortion by encrypting victims' data and threatening to post it on public TOR sites. Initially targeting Windows systems, Mallox has now developed Linux variants using custom Python scripts for pay…

A cybersecurity firm has encountered a new ransomware organization, dubbed Volcano Demon, responsible for recent attacks involving an encryptor called LukaLocker. The malware encrypts victims' files with the .nba extension and was successful in compromising Windows workstations and servers after ha…

P2Pinfect is a sophisticated malware that utilizes a peer-to-peer botnet for command and control. Initially appearing dormant, it has evolved to deploy ransomware and cryptominer payloads. The malware spreads via exploiting Redis and limited SSH capabilities. A recent update introduced a new ransom…

In collaboration with Recorded Future, SentinelLabs has been tracking two distinct activity clusters targeting government and critical infrastructure sectors globally between 2021 and 2023.

Check Point Research has identified multiple threat actors utilizing Rafel, an open-source remote administration tool (RAT). The discovery of an espionage group leveraging Rafel in their operations was of particular significance, as it indicates the tool’s efficacy across various threat actor profi…

The report describes an attack campaign leveraging the CVE-2024-4577 vulnerability to deliver the "TellYouThePass" ransomware. The attackers use the vulnerability to execute arbitrary PHP code and run a malicious HTML application that loads a .NET variant of the ransomware into memory. Upon executi…

This report details an intrusion that commenced with a spam campaign distributing a forked IcedID loader. After gaining initial access, the threat actor deployed ScreenConnect and established Cobalt Strike beacons, enabling remote command execution. They also utilized CSharp Streamer, a capable RAT…

Arctic Wolf Labs began monitoring the deployment of a new ransomware variant called Fog in early May 2024. The ransomware attacks targeted organizations in the education and recreation sectors within the United States. Evidence suggests threat actors gained initial access through compromised VPN cr…

Since its discovery in 2021, TargetCompany has been evolving its techniques to circumvent security defenses employed by organizations; one such technique its use of a PowerShell script to bypass Antimalware Scan Interface (AMSI) and abuse of fully undetectable (FUD) obfuscator packers. A new varian…

This report discusses a case where a CoinMiner threat actor's proxy server, used to access an infected botnet, became the target of a ransomware threat actor's Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) scan attack. The ransomware threat actor successfully breached the proxy server and distributed ransomware to…

Microsoft has identified Moonstone Sleet, a new North Korean threat actor that employs various tactics, including creating fake companies, distributing trojanized legitimate tools, developing a malicious game, and deploying custom ransomware. This actor combines methods used by other North Korean g…

The report examines an incident where threat actors leveraged Microsoft's BitLocker encryption utility to deploy unauthorized file encryption on targeted systems. The adversaries employed a sophisticated VBScript that resized disk partitions, modified registry entries, enabled BitLocker with random…

The report describes a recent campaign by the threat actor Storm-1811, a financially motivated cybercriminal group known for deploying Black Basta ransomware. The campaign begins with social engineering tactics like voice phishing (vishing) and email bombing to trick users into granting remote acce…

Rapid7 detected an ongoing malware distribution campaign involving trojanized installers of WinSCP and PuTTY, delivered via malicious search engine ads. The infection chain employs DLL side-loading, credential access, and deploys Sliver beacons followed by Cobalt Strike. In one case, the threat act…

In late April 2024, Proofpoint observed high-volume email campaigns facilitated by the Phorpiex botnet, distributing millions of messages with attachments leading to LockBit Black ransomware infections. The messages appeared to originate from 'Jenny Green' and contained ZIP attachments with executa…

This advisory details tactics, techniques, procedures and indicators of compromise related to Black Basta ransomware, a variant first identified in April 2022. Its affiliates have impacted over 500 organizations globally across multiple critical infrastructure sectors, including Healthcare and Publ…

This report details the analysis of a malspam campaign utilizing the Matanbuchus loader, which involved decrypting strings within the malware through emulation techniques. The investigation pivoted to uncover a Russian bulletproof hosting service, Proton66 OOO, that currently hosts various maliciou…

The report analyzes recent attacks by the TargetCompany ransomware group targeting poorly managed MS-SQL servers. The group initially installs Remcos RAT and a remote screen control malware for reconnaissance and lateral movement. Subsequently, the Mallox ransomware is deployed to encrypt the infec…

This concise report provides insights into the evolving ransomware landscape, covering the KageNoHitobito and DoNex variants. It analyzes their infection vectors, victimology, attack methods, and associated indicators of compromise (IoCs). The report also highlights Fortinet's protections against t…