Since March 2023, Akira ransomware has impacted a wide range of businesses and critical infrastructure entities in North America, Europe, and Australia. In April 2023, following an initial focus on Windows systems, Akira threat actors deployed a Linux variant targeting VMware ESXi virtual machines.
As of January 1, 2024, the ransomware group has impacted over 250 organizations and claimed approximately $42 million USD in ransomware proceeds. Early versions of the Akira ransomware variant were written in C++ and encrypted files with a .akira extension; however, beginning in August 2023, some Akira attacks began deploying Megazord, using Rust-based code which encrypts files with a .powerranges extension.
Read more…
Source: U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation Cyber Division
Related:
- Chilean bank shuts down all branches following ransomware attack
September 7, 2020
BancoEstado, one of Chile’s three biggest banks, was forced to shut down all branches on Monday following a ransomware attack that took place over the weekend. “Our branches will not be operational and will remain closed today,” the bank said in a statement published on its Twitter account on Monday. Details about the attack have not been ...
- Ransomware attack halts Argentinian border crossing for four hours
September 6, 2020
Argentina’s official immigration agency, Dirección Nacional de Migraciones, suffered a Netwalker ransomware attack that temporarily halted border crossing into and out of the country. While ransomware attacks against cities and local agencies have become all too common, this may be a first known attack against a federal agency that has interrupted a country’s operations. According to a ...
- FBI issues second alert about ProLock ransomware stealing data
September 4, 2020
The FBI issued a second warning this week to alert US companies of ProLock ransomware operators stealing data from compromised networks before encrypting their victims’ systems. The 20200901-001 Private Industry Notification seen by BleepingComputer on September 1st comes after the MI-000125-MW Flash Alert on the same subject issued by the FBI four months ago, on May ...
- Thanos Ransomware: Destructive Variant Targeting State-Run Organizations in the Middle East and North Africa
September 4, 2020
On July 6 and July 9, 2020, we observed files associated with an attack on two state-run organizations in the Middle East and North Africa that ultimately installed and ran a variant of the Thanos ransomware. The Thanos variant created a text file that displayed a ransom message requesting the victim transfer “20,000$” into a ...
- Conti (Ryuk) joins the ranks of ransomware gangs operating data leak sites
August 25, 2020
It has now become a mainstream tactic for big ransomware groups to create so-called “leak sites” where they upload and leak sensitive documents from companies who refuse to pay the ransomware decryption fee. These “leak sites” are part of a new trend forming on the cybercriminal underground where ransomware groups are adopting a new tactic called ...
- Group of unskilled Iranian hackers behind recent attacks with Dharma ransomware
August 24, 2020
Cyber-security firm Group-IB says it identified a group of low-skilled hackers operating out of Iran that has been launching attacks against companies in Asia and attempting to encrypt their networks with a version of the Dharma ransomware. The attacks have targeted companies located in Russia, Japan, China, and India, according to a report Group-IB researchers published ...