Researchers tie ransomware families to North Korean cyber-army
The North Korean army is continuing to try its hand at ransomware, according to a new report from cybersecurity firm Trellix. Christiaan Beek, lead scientist with the company’s threat research division, released a report on Tuesday tying four ransomware families — BEAF, PXJ, ZZZZ and CHiCHi — to the prolific Unit
Crypto mixer Blender sanctioned by US Treasury for involvement in $600m Ronin theft
The US Treasury has sanctioned cryptocurrency mixing service Blender.io for its involvement in the Ronin sidechain in March. According to the Treasury, Blender.io provided services for the cyber attackers behind the Ronin attacks, resulting in a $600 million profit for the cybercriminals. Blender.io has also been blocked from completing transactions
VHD Ransomware Linked to North Korea’s Lazarus Group
Security researchers at Trellix discovered new VHD ransomware linked to North Korea’s Lazarus group. Although the researchers suspect that the malware has been around since March 2020, it has never been tied to a group. Researchers at Trellix examined source code and Bitcoin transactions to link the ransomware to the
Healthcare and Education Sectors Most Susceptible to Cyber Incidents
According to the UK’s Information Commissioner’s Office, the healthcare and education sectors are the industries most vulnerable to cyberattacks. The ICO used data from 2021 to come to the conclusions, and the findings were analyzed by CybSafe. Attacks against healthcare and education organizations made up a third of security incidents
Majority of banks paid ransom for cyberattacks last year
Cloud computing company VMware says its most recent report has found a drastic increase of destructive cyberattacks, with 74% of businesses interviewed experiencing one or more ransomware attacks in the last year. Its report, 2022 Modern Bank Heist, is an annual look into the experiences of top financial and security leaders
Costa Rica Refuses to Pay Cyber Ransom
Costa Rica has announced that it will not pay ransom demands requested by cybercriminals following a cyberattack that infected its government computer systems. The disruptions were first reported last week by Costa Rica’s Finance Ministry. The attack on the ministry disrupted several national processes such as tax collection, payment of
FBI Warning as BlackCat Ransomware Breaches at Least 60 Organizations
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) released a FLASH warning this week pertaining to the ransomware-as-a-service group BlackCat. According to the warning, the hacking group has already compromised roughly 60 entities across the world. After successfully breaching an organization’s network, the group typically requests ransom payments of several million dollars.
FBI Warns US Farmers of Ransomware Surge
The FBI has warned that US food supply chains are at risk of ransomware attacks. The FBI released a Private Industry Notification this week that details how agricultural cooperatives may be seen as attractive targets to threat groups during the planting and harvesting seasons. Attacks could be financially motivated, or
Monero’s crypto of choice as ransomware ‘double extortion’ attacks increase 500%
A new report by blockchain analytics firm CipherTrace highlights the growing role that privacy-focused cryptocurrencies such as Monero are playing in the rising tide of ransomware. “Current Trends in Ransomware” delves into trends observed during 2021 but was only released this week. The firm revealed there was almost a 500% increase
Many SMBs wouldn’t survive a ransomware attack
According to a new report from cybersecurity provider CyberCatch, most small and mid-sized businesses would not survive a ransomware attack. In addition to lacking security measures, the companies possess little financial and technical resources to help them recover from the aftermath of an attack. CyberCatch conducted a survey in collaboration