A 34-year-old Russian-Canadian national has received nearly four years in prison in Canada due to his involvement in the LockBit global ransomware scheme. Mikhail Vasiliev, an Ontario resident, was initially arrested in November 2022 and subsequently charged by the U.S. Department of Justice (DoJ) for conspiring to intentionally damage protected…
UN Security Council Addresses Surge in Ransomware Attacks Targeting Healthcare Facilities In a crucial briefing at the United Nations Security Council, officials highlighted the alarming rise in ransomware attacks aimed at hospitals and other healthcare services. The discussion comes in response to a series of high-profile incidents that have severely…
Data Breaches Impose Heavy Financial Costs on Companies, New Report Reveals ExtraHop®, a frontrunner in cloud-native network detection and response (NDR), has unveiled a report illustrating the staggering financial implications of significant data breaches on publicly traded companies. The analysis indicates that organizations typically incur an average loss of approximately…
International Police Coalition Targets Cybercrime Networks In a significant crackdown on cybercriminal activities, an international coalition of law enforcement agencies has successfully disrupted a variety of online scams, including phishing attempts, credential theft, and ransomware distribution. This operation, known as Synergia II, was spearheaded by Interpol and spanned from early…
Ransomware Landscape Sees Shift as Attacks Decline in Early 2024 The ransomware sector experienced a significant transformation in early 2024, following a notable increase in incidents throughout 2023. The year closed with an alarming 5,070 victims globally, reflecting a staggering 55.5% rise in ransomware attacks. However, as the new year…
A cybercriminal group known as Hellcat ransomware has recently surged into the spotlight after launching an attack on Schneider Electric, a prominent French energy management firm. According to the group, they have exfiltrated around 60GB of sensitive data and are reportedly threatening to release 40GB of it on the dark…
Cyber Attack on Serco Disrupts Prison Monitoring Services Serco, the British multinational firm providing technology solutions for military and defense operations, has become the target of a significant cyber attack that has disrupted its capabilities in monitoring prisoners and managing transportation services for inmate transfer. This incident poses serious risks…
Threat actors are increasingly targeting inadequately secured Microsoft SQL (MS SQL) servers to deliver Cobalt Strike and a specific ransomware variant known as FreeWorld. This concerning trend has been highlighted by cybersecurity firm Securonix, which has labeled the ongoing operation as DB#JAMMER. This campaign is notable for its sophisticated use…
The recent investigation by Mandiant, a cybersecurity arm of Google, has unveiled significant insights regarding the breach incidents attributed to a hacker identified as UNC5537. Austin Larsen, a threat intelligence analyst at Mandiant, characterizes this hacker as “one of the most consequential threat actors of 2024.” The repercussions of these…
