The Medusa ransomware gang continues to present a major threat to the critical infrastructure sector, according to a newly-released joint advisory from the FBI, Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) and the Multi-State Information Sharing and Analysis Center (MS-ISAC).As of February 2025, the Medusa ransomware operation, which we have previously detailed on the Tripwire State of...

What is the Cactus ransomware?Cactus is a ransomware-as-a-service (RaaS) group that encrypts victim's data and demands a ransom for a decryption key.Hundreds of organisations have found themselves the victim of Cactus since it was first discovered in March 2023, with their stolen data published on the dark web as an "incentive" to give in to the extortionists' demands.So far, so sadly normal. What...

Companies are being warned that malicious hackers are using a novel technique to break into businesses - by pretending to offer audits of the company's cybersecurity.With ransomware and other cybersecurity threats high in the mind of many business owners, it is all too easy to imagine how many companies might react positively to an invitation to have the security of their networks tested.But...

Security experts have warned that a cybercriminal group has been running a malicious and inventive phishing campaign since August 2024 to break into organizations across Europe, North America, Africa, and the Middle East.The Russian group, known as Storm-2372, has targeted government and non-governmental organisations (NGOs), as well as firms working in IT, defence, telecoms, health, and the...

The US Coast Guard has been urged to improve the cybersecurity infrastructure of the Maritime Transportation System (MTS), which includes ports, waterways, and vessels essential for transporting over $5.4 trillion worth of goods annually.The Government Accountability Office (GAO) has warned in a report published this week that America's maritime transportation system lacks a proper cybersecurity...

A California man has been sentenced to seven years in prison for his involvement in a fraudulent scheme that saw over 50 individuals and organisations lose millions of dollars.59-year-old Allen Giltman, of Irvine, California, pleaded guilty to charges that he and his co-conspirators built a network of fraudulent websites impersonating legitimate financial institutions.According to a US Department...

The Turkish government is proposing a controversial new cybersecurity law that could make it a criminal act to report on data breaches. The new legislation proposes penalties for various cybersecurity-related offences. But they key one which has people concerned is this:"Those who carry out activities aimed at targeting institutions or individuals by creating the perception that there has been a...

What is the Medusa ransomware?Medusa is a ransomware-as-a-service (RaaS) platform that first came to prominence in 2023. The ransomware impacts organisations running Windows, predominantly exploiting vulnerable and unpatched systems and hijacking accounts through initial access brokers.Initial access brokers?Initial access brokers (IABs) specialise in gaining unauthorised access to the networks of...

What is Space Bears?Space Bear is a relatively new ransomware group that first appeared on the radar in April 2024. The gang, which is aligned to the Phobos ransomware-as-a-service group, steals sensitive data from organisations, encrypts victims' computer systems, and demands that a ransom be paid for a decryption key or the data will be published on the dark web.So far, so normal. What makes...

In a co-ordinated international effort, the law enforcement agencies of 15 countries have made the holiday season a little less stressful for companies and consumers - by seizing control of some of the internet's most popular DDoS-for-hire services.Operation PowerOFF has disrupted what was anticipated to be a surge of distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks over the Christmas period by taking...

What is 3AM?3AM (also known as ThreeAM) is a ransomware group that first emerged in late 2023. Like other ransomware threats, 3AM exfiltrates victims' data (threatening to release it publicly unless a ransom is paid) and encrypts the copies left on targeted organisations' computer systems.So it's the normal story with ransomware - exfiltrate, encrypt, extort?Pretty much - but there are some...

The UK's National Crime Agency (NCA) has revealed details of Operation Destabilise, a years-long international law enforcement investigation into a giant Russian money laundering enterprise that handled billions of dollars for drug traffickers and ransomware gangs worldwide. The multi-billion dollar Smart and TGR networks are said to have used a complex system of cash handovers and cryptocurrency...

It's not a new technique, but that doesn't mean that cybercriminals cannot make rich rewards from SEO poisoning. SEO poisoning is the dark art of manipulating search engines to ensure that malware-laced adverts and dangerous websites appear high on users' results - often impersonating legitimate businesses and organisations. But the simplest way of all to get a malicious website in front of a...

What is Mimic?Mimic is family of ransomware, first found in-the-wild in 2022. In common with many other ransomware attacks, Mimic encrypts a victim's files, and demands a ransom payment in cryptocurrency for the release of a decryption key.Does Mimic also steal data?Yes, some variants of Mimic can also exfiltrate data from a user's computers before it is encrypted - the stolen data is typically...

When we think about our data being leaked onto the internet, we often picture it as our financial records, our passwords, our names and addresses... what is less often considered is the exposure of our private medical information.A French hospital has found itself in the unenviable position of learning that hackers have gained access to the medical records of over 750,000 patients following a...

What is ShrinkLocker?ShrinkLocker is a family of ransomware that encrypts an organisation's data and demands a ransom payment in order to restore access to their files. It was first identified by security researchers in May 2024, after attacks were observed in Mexico, Indonesia, and Jordan.So far, so normal. What makes it noteworthy?The ShrinkLocker ransomware is unusual because it uses VBScript...

Scammers have leapt at the opportunity to exploit vulnerable UK residents by sending bogus messages telling them they need to take action to receive help with their winter heating bills. In July, the UK's new Labour Government announced that it was limiting who was eligible for assistance with their winter fuel bills by making eligibility means-tested. The controversial decision appears to have...

As the United States of America enters the final days of the race for the White House, the FBI has warned that fraudsters are using the presidential election campaign to scam citizens out of their savings and personal data.According to a public service announcement published by the Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3), scammers who have previously exploited state and local elections are targeting...

Historically, Mac users haven't had to worry about malware as much as their Windows-using cousins. Although malware targeting Apple devices actually predates viruses written for PCs, and there have been some families of malware that have presented a significant threat for both operating systems (for instance, the Word macro viruses that hit computers hard from 1995 onwards), it is generally the...

No-one would be bold enough to say that the ransomware problem is receding, but a newly-published report by Microsoft does deliver a slither of encouraging news amongst the gloom. And boy do we need some good news - amid reports that 389 US-based healthcare institutions were hit by ransomware last year - more than one every single day. The 114-page Microsoft Digital Defense Report (MMDR) looks at...