Will Hive Stay Kaput After FBI Busts Infrastructure?
What’s not to love about an international law enforcement operation wreaking disruption on Hive, the ransomware-wielding crime syndicate? But with no suspects in jail, it’s unclear how long this takedown will stick before the bad guys get back their sting. There’s still plenty to celebrate since Hive, one of the world’s most active ransomware groups,…
REvil Revival: Are Ransomware Gangs Ever Really Gone?
Evidence that members of the defunct REvil group may be reviving the ransomware gang continues to accumulate, but cybersecurity experts question whether the group will have the same impact that it once did. On April 29, anti-malware firm Avast revealed that the company’s software had blocked a ransomware sample that appeared to be generated using…
“We absolutely do not care about you”: Sugar ransomware targets individuals
Ransomware tends to target organizations. Corporations not only house a trove of valuable data they can’t function without, but they are also expected to cough up a considerable amount of ransom money in exchange for their encrypted files. And while corporations struggle to keep up with attacks, ransomware groups have left the average consumer relatively…
Tales from the Dark Web, Part 2: Ransomware Stacked With Distribution Services Creates the Perfect Storm
Ransomware incidents have increased dramatically over the past few years. Complaints about ransomware attacks to the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center surged 62% in the first half of 2021 compared to a similar time frame in 2020, according to the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency. To blunt this growing threat, security professionals need to understand…
Russia Lays the Smackdown on REvil Ransomware Gang
Members of the hacker group, also known as Sodinokibi, have been charged with crimes in Russia, and its infrastructure has “been liquidated,” the public relations arm of Moscow’s FSB security agency told Russia’s Interfax news agency. The special operation, conducted by Russian authorities, was reportedly at the request of the United States. “The FSB of…
BlackMatter ransomware group announces shutdown. But for how long?
The BlackMatter ransomware gang has announced they are going to shut down their operation, citing pressure from local authorities. And pressure there is. Only two weeks ago, we wrote about a warning that the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), and the National Security Agency (NSA) had issued over…
4 most dangerous emerging ransomware threat groups to watch
New research from Palo Alto Networks’ Unit 42 has identified four emerging ransomware groups that have the potential to become bigger problems in the future. These are AvosLocker, Hive Ransomware, HelloKitty, and LockBit 2.0. Emerging ransomware threat groups “With major ransomware groups such as REvil and Darkside lying low or rebranding to evade law enforcement…
New REvil-Based Ransomware Emerges
Also known as Sodinokibi, REvil has become one of the most prominent ransomware families out there, being involved in a large number of high-profile attacks, including the one on JBS, the world’s largest meat processing company. REvil is offered by an Eastern Europe/Russia-based threat actor tracked as PINCHY SPIDER, which is known for their RaaS…
Recent ransomware attacks define the malware’s new age
History of ransomware Ransomware, a type of malware that holds data for ransom, has been around for years. In 1991, a biologist spread PC Cyborg, the first ransomware, by sending floppy disks via surface mail to other AIDS researchers, for instance. In the mid ’00s Archiveus was the first ransomware to use encryption, though it’s…