- A specially crafted update is deleting Emotet botnet malware from infected PCs
April 26, 2021
A specially crafted update created by law enforcement has triggered the process of removing the Emotet botnet malware from 1.6 million infected computers around the world. Emotet was thought to be the world’s largest botnet, known for spewing millions of malware-laden spam emails each day. Law enforcement in the US, Canada and Europe conducted a coordinated ...
- Ransomware by the numbers: Reassessing the threat’s global impact
April 23, 2021
Kaspersky has been following the ransomware landscape for years. In the past, we’ve published yearly reports on the subject: PC ransomware in 2014-2016, Ransomware in 2016-2017, and Ransomware and malicious crypto miners in 2016-2018. In fact, in 2019, we chose ransomware as the story of the year, upon noticing the well-known threat was shifting its ...
- Ransomware’s perfect target: Why shipping and logistics industry needs to improve cybersecurity, before it’s too late
April 23, 2021
Ransomware attacks against the shipping and logistics industry have tripled in the past year, as cyber criminals target the global supply chain in an effort to make money from ransom payments. Analysis by cybersecurity company BlueVoyant found that ransomware attacks are increasingly targeting shipping and logistics firms at a time when the global COVID-19 pandemic means ...
- Ransomware is growing at an alarming rate, warns GCHQ chief
April 23, 2021
The scale and severity of ransomware is growing at an alarming rate as cyber criminals look to exploit poor cybersecurity to maximise profit, the director of GCHQ has warned. Organisations and their employees have been forced to adapt to different ways of working over the last year, with many now even more reliant on remote services ...
- New cryptomining malware builds an army of Windows, Linux bots
April 23, 2021
A recently discovered cryptomining botnet is actively scanning for vulnerable Windows and Linux enterprise servers and infecting them with Monero (XMRig) miner and self-spreader malware payloads. First spotted by Alibaba Cloud (Aliyun) security researchers in February (who dubbed it Sysrv-hello) and active since December 2020, the botnet has also landed on the radars of researchers at ...
- Ransomware gang offers traders inside scoop on attack victims so they can short sell their stocks
April 23, 2021
Brazen ransomware groups are continuing to seek out new avenues to rake in profits and ratchet up pressure on victims. In one of the latest such developments, the DarkSide ransomware group is openly coaxing stock traders to reach out and receive the inside scoop on the gang’s latest corporate victims, so they can short sell ...
- New US Justice Department team aims to disrupt ransomware operations
April 22, 2021
The US Department of Justice (DoJ) is forming a new task force to deal with the “root causes” of ransomware. In an internal memo, the DoJ outlines the creation of a new initiative that will bring together current efforts in federal government to “pursue and disrupt” ransomware operations. As noted by CNN, this could include the takedown ...
- Telegram Platform Abused in ‘ToxicEye’ Malware Campaigns
April 22, 2021
Hackers are leveraging the popular Telegram messaging app by embedding its code inside a remote access trojan (RAT) dubbed ToxicEye, new research has found. A victim’s computer infected with the ToxicEye malware is controlled via a hacker-operated Telegram messaging account. The ToxicEye malware can take over file systems, install ransomware and leak data from victim’s PCs, ...
- Mount Locker Ransomware Aggressively Changes Up Tactics
April 22, 2021
The Mount Locker ransomware has shaken things up in recent campaigns with more sophisticated scripting and anti-prevention features, according to researchers. And, the change in tactics appears to coincide with a rebranding for the malware into “AstroLocker.” According to researchers, Mount Locker has been a swiftly moving threat. Having just hit the ransomware-as-a-service scene in the ...
- Prometei botnet is hunting for unpatched Microsoft Exchange servers
April 22, 2021
Cyber criminals are trying to use vulnerabilities in Microsoft Exchange servers to add to their botnet for mining cryptocurrency – but the level of access they’re gaining means they could use their access for other, much more dangerous cyberattacks. Detailed by cybersecurity researchers at Cybereason, the Prometei botnet is a widespread global campaign that is targeting ...