WantToCry ransomware remotely encrypts files


SophosLabs analysts investigated WantToCry ransomware attacks that involved the threat actors abusing the Server Message Block (SMB) service for initial access and then exfiltrating files to attacker-controlled infrastructure for remote encryption. The detection surface is significantly reduced because WantToCry operates without local malware execution, and there is no post-compromise activity beyond exfiltrating files and rewriting them to disk.

Read more…
Source: SophosLabs


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


Related:

  • Babuk quits ransomware encryption, focuses on data-theft extortion

    April 30, 2021

    A new message today from the operators of Babuk ransomware clarifies that the gang has decided to close the affiliate program and move to an extortion model that does not rely on encrypting victim computers. The explanation comes after yesterday the group posted and deleted two announcements about their plan to close the project and release ...

  • UNC2447 SOMBRAT and FIVEHANDS Ransomware: A Sophisticated Financial Threat

    April 29, 2021

    Mandiant has observed an aggressive financially motivated group, UNC2447, exploiting one SonicWall VPN zero-day vulnerability prior to a patch being available and deploying sophisticated malware previously reported by other vendors as SOMBRAT. Mandiant has linked the use of SOMBRAT to the deployment of ransomware, which has not been previously reported publicly. UNC2447 monetizes intrusions by extorting ...

  • RotaJakiro: A Linux backdoor that has flown under the radar for years

    April 29, 2021

    A Linux backdoor recently discovered by researchers has avoided VirusTotal detection since 2018. Dubbed RotaJakiro, the Linux malware has been described by the Qihoo 360 Netlab team as a backdoor targeting Linux 64-bit systems. RotaJakiro was first detected on March 25 when a Netlab distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) botnet C2 command tracking system, BotMon, flagged a suspicious file. Read ...

  • Cyberspies target military organizations with new Nebulae backdoor

    April 28, 2021

    A Chinese-speaking threat actor has deployed a new backdoor in multiple cyber-espionage operations spanning roughly two years and targeting military organizations from Southeast Asia. For at least a decade, the hacking group known as Naikon has actively spied on organizations in countries around the South China Sea, including the Philippines, Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore, and Thailand, for ...

  • Ghostwriter Update: Cyber Espionage Group UNC1151 Likely Conducts Ghostwriter Influence Activity

    April 28, 2021

    In July 2020, Mandiant Threat Intelligence released a public report detailing an ongoing influence campaign we named “Ghostwriter.” Ghostwriter is a cyber-enabled influence campaign which primarily targets audiences in Lithuania, Latvia and Poland and promotes narratives critical of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization’s (NATO) presence in Eastern Europe. Since releasing our public report, we have ...

  • Passwordstate hackers phish for more victims with updated malware

    April 28, 2021

    Click Studios, the software company behind the Passwordstate enterprise password manager, is warning customers of ongoing phishing attacks targeting them with updated Moserpass malware. Last week, the company notified its users that attackers successfully compromised the password manager’s update mechanism to deliver info-stealing malware known as Moserpass to a yet undisclosed number of customers between April ...