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:

  • Energy Giant Shell Is Latest Victim of Accellion Attacks

    March 23, 2021

    Energy giant Royal Dutch Shell is the latest victim of a series of attacks on users of the Accellion legacy File Transfer Appliance (FTA) product, which already has affected numerous companies and been attributed to the FIN11 and the Clop ransomware gang. “Shell has been impacted by a data-security incident involving Accellion’s File Transfer Appliance,” the ...

  • Purple Fox malware worms its way into exposed Windows systems

    March 23, 2021

    Purple Fox, a malware previously distributed via exploit kits and phishing emails, has now added a worm module that allows it to scan for and infect Windows systems reachable over the Internet in ongoing attacks. The malware comes with rootkit and backdoor capabilities, was first spotted in 2018 after infecting at least 30,000 devices, and is ...

  • Office 365 Cyberattack Lands Disgruntled IT Contractor in Jail

    March 23, 2021

    A former IT contractor has been sentenced to two years in prison after hacking into a company’s server and deleting the majority of its employees’ Microsoft Office 365 (O365) accounts. The incident resulted in the company completely shutting down for two days. The 32-year-old contractor, Deepanshu Kher, was initially employed by an unnamed IT consulting firm ...

  • UK colleges and unis urged to prepare for ransomware before it’s too late

    March 23, 2021

    Britain’s National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) has urged universities, schools, and colleges to be vigilant following an increase in ransomware attacks targeting educational institutions. “While operational details cannot be disclosed, the NCSC has dealt with a significant increase in the number of attacks since late February, when establishments were preparing to welcome students back to the ...

  • Microsoft Exchange servers now targeted by Black Kingdom ransomware

    March 22, 2021

    Another ransomware operation known as ‘Black Kingdom’ is exploiting the Microsoft Exchange Server ProxyLogon vulnerabilities to encrypt servers. Over the weekend, security researcher Marcus Hutchins, aka MalwareTechBlog, tweeted that a threat actor was compromising Microsoft Exchange servers via the ProxyLogon vulnerabilities to deploy ransomware. Based on the logs from his honeypots, Hutchins states that the threat actor ...

  • China takes aim at ‘spying’ Tesla cars, bans military staff use

    March 22, 2021

    Elon Musk has said Tesla would be “shut down” if accusations that the firm’s cars could be used for spying purposes were true. Last week, the Wall Street Journal reported that the Chinese government has restricted the use of Tesla vehicles in military and key, state-owned company settings. Military and government staff are reportedly not permitted to ...