AI used in Aur0ra ransomware testing and execution


In May 2026, Counter Threat Unit™ (CTU) researchers published a report on an AI-orchestrated post-exploitation framework that tested the capabilities of multiple vendors’ endpoint detection and response (EDR) solutions, including the Sophos agent. Following a testing phase, Sophos analysts observed the same infrastructure hosting Cobalt Strike in support of Aur0ra ransomware (also known as Aurora ransomware) operations. Sophos analysis has revealed that the GOLD OGRE cybercriminal group, which operates Aur0ra ransomware, extensively uses AI to conduct attacks. The tools and tactics, techniques, and procedures (TTPs) observed by Sophos analysts align with third-party reporting of AI usage in similar compromises.

Read more…
Source:  Sophos


Sign up for the Cyber Security Review Newsletter
The latest cyber security news and insights delivered right to your inbox


Related:

  • Codex Exposed: Helping Hackers in Training?

    February 3, 2022

    In June 2020, OpenAI released version 3 of its Generative Pre-trained Transformer (GPT-3), a natural language transformer that took the tech world by storm with its uncanny ability to generate text seemingly written by humans. But GPT-3 was also trained on computer code, and recently OpenAI released a specialized version of its engine, named Codex, ...

  • The evolution of a Mac trojan: UpdateAgent’s progression

    February 3, 2022

    Discovery and analysis by Microsoft researchers of a sophisticated Mac trojan in October exposed a year-long evolution of a malware family—and depicts the rising complexity of threats across platforms. The trojan, tracked as UpdateAgent, started as a relatively basic information-stealer but was observed distributing secondary payloads in the latest campaign, a capability that it added ...

  • Russia’s Gamaredon aka Primitive Bear APT Group Actively Targeting Ukraine

    February 3, 2022

    Since November, geopolitical tensions between Russia and Ukraine have escalated dramatically. It is estimated that Russia has now amassed over 100,000 troops on Ukraine’s eastern border, leading some to speculate that an invasion may come next. On Jan. 14, 2022, this conflict spilled over into the cyber domain as the Ukrainian government was targeted with ...

  • North Korea Hacked Him. So He Took Down Its Internet

    February 2, 2022

    For the past two weeks, observers of North Korea’s strange and tightly restricted corner of the internet began to notice that the country seemed to be dealing with some serious connectivity problems. On several different days, practically all of its websites—the notoriously isolated nation only has a few dozen—intermittently dropped offline en masse, from the ...

  • UEFI firmware vulnerabilities affect at least 25 computer vendors

    February 2, 2022

    Researchers from firmware protection company Binarly have discovered critical vulnerabilities in the UEFI firmware from InsydeH2O used by multiple computer vendors such as Fujitsu, Intel, AMD, Lenovo, Dell, ASUS, HP, Siemens, Microsoft, and Acer. UEFI (Unified Extensible Firmware Interface) software is an interface between a device’s firmware and the operating system, which handles the booting process, ...

  • Arid Viper APT targets Palestine with new wave of politically themed phishing attacks, malware

    February 2, 2022

    Cisco Talos has identified a new wave of what is believed to be an ongoing campaign using the Delphi malware since 2017. Talos believes with high confidence that this is the work of the Arid Viper threat actor. This is a group believed to be based out of Gaza that’s known to target organizations all ...