One unfortunate holiday tradition seems to be that ransomware groups will attack at holiday times when entities are less likely to have full IT support from staff. One attack, however, reportedly started last week. Ed Blazina reports: What Pittsburgh Regional Transit last week thought was a computer glitch that affected rail service has turned out…
Category: Malware
The Fine Line Between Ideology and Crime: Understanding the True Purpose of Dragon Ransomware – The Interview
Over on SuspectFile, Marco A. De Felice writes: This interview provides a detailed look at Dragon Ransomware, a group active in the cybercrime landscape that combines a defined organizational structure with advanced technological expertise. Their statements shed light on operational elements and motivations that help to better understand the internal dynamics of these illicit activities….
Ascension cyberattack exposed personal data of 5.6 million people
Sarah Volpenhein reports: Nearly 5.6 million people were affected in the ransomware attack that hit Ascension in May, the national health system now says. Until now, the health system had not publicly disclosed the total number of people affected by the May ransomware attack that compromised patient data and ultimately caused major disruptions to patient…
Romanian National Sentenced to 20 Years in Prison in Connection with NetWalker Ransomware Attacks
A press release from the U.S. Department of Justice: A Romanian man was sentenced today for his role in the NetWalker ransomware attacks to 20 years in prison and ordered to forfeit $21,500,000 and his interests in an Indonesian limited liability company and associated luxury resort property under construction in Bali, Indonesia — a business…
Israeli hacker alleged to be software dev for LockBit faces extradition to U.S. for role in global ransomware network
Itamar Eichner reports: The International Department of the State Attorney’s Office has petitioned the Jerusalem District Court to declare Rostislav Panev, an Israeli citizen and resident of Haifa, can be extradited to the United States. Panev is wanted for prosecution on charges of conspiracy to commit fraud, cybercrime, wire fraud, and other offenses. The petition,…
Ukrainian National Sentenced to Federal Prison in “Raccoon Infostealer” Cybercrime Case
AUSTIN, Texas – Ukrainian national Mark Sokolovsky was sentenced today to 60 months in federal prison for one count of conspiracy to commit computer intrusion. According to court documents, Sokolovsky, 28, conspired to operate the Raccoon Infostealer as a malware-as-a-service or “MaaS.” Individuals who deployed Raccoon Infostealer to steal data from victims leased access to…