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:
- Ransom Disclosure Act would give victims 48 hours to report payments
October 5, 2021
Victims of ransomware attacks in the United States may soon have to report any payments to hackers within 48 hours, according to a new legislation proposal titled the ‘Ransom Disclosure Act’. The bill was drafted by U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren and Representative Deborah Ross, and its goal is to strengthen DHS’s (Department of Homeland Security) understanding ...
- Ransomware Gang Arrested In Ukraine With Europol’s Support
October 4, 2021
On 28 September, a coordinated strike between the French National Gendarmerie (Gendarmerie Nationale), the Ukrainian National Police (Національна поліція України) and the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), with the coordination of Europol and INTERPOL, has led to the arrest in Ukraine of two prolific ransomware operators known for their extortionate ransom demands (between ...
- Ransomware gangs are complaining that other crooks are stealing their ransoms
September 30, 2021
Cyber criminals using a ransomware-as-a-service scheme have been spotted complaining that the group they rent the malware from could be using a hidden backdoor to grab ransom payments for themselves. REvil is one of the most notorious and most common forms of ransomware around and has been responsible for several major incidents. The group behind REvil ...
- Alabama: Baby died because of ransomware attack on hospital
September 30, 2021
An Alabama baby was born with severe brain injury and eventually died due to botched care because her hospital was struggling with a ransomware attack, a lawsuit alleges. The filing is the first credible public claim that someone’s death was caused at least in part by hackers who remotely shut down hospital computers in an extortion ...
- United Health Centers ransomware attack claimed by Vice Society
September 24, 2021
California-based United Health Centers suffered a ransomware attack that reportedly disrupted all of their locations and resulted in patient data theft. United Health Centers is a health care provider in California with twenty-one community health centers servicing Fresno, Kings, and Tulare counties. On August 31st, BleepingComputer was told by a source in the cybersecurity industry that United ...
- How REvil May Have Ripped Off Its Own Affiliates
September 22, 2021
There’s no honor between thieves, but this is beyond rude: Malware specialists have found evidence of how REvil’s leadership may have screwed their own affiliates out of their cut of ransomware payouts. Malware specialists researching newly available samples from REvil – aka Sodinokibi, a once-major, now sort-of reborn ransomware-as-a-service (RaaS) player – have identified a backdoor ...