
Discover how cybercriminals are outpacing law enforcement in a rapidly evolving landscape and what this means for global security.

An international law enforcement operation has dismantled a cryptocurrency laundering service linked to ransomware groups and other cybercriminals that processed more than €336 million in illicit funds. The domain seizure notice (Source: Europol) Europol said the service, known as AudiA6, is suspected of laundering cryptocurrency obtained through ransomware attacks and other forms of cybercrime between…

Authorities in Europe have disrupted AudiA6, a cryptocurrency laundering service used by ransomware gangs and cybercriminal networks. Europol, in a statement issued Thursday, said the dismantling of AudiA6 cut off a “key financial pipeline used to wash hundreds of millions in illicit profits.” The service is estimated to have been used to launder more than…
Extortion-only attacks are increasing as data theft drives most ransomware claims, with many organizations unable to stop stolen data from being exposed
The Gentlemen ransomware group, as analyzed by Check Point Software, operates on a ransomware-as-a-service model, attracting skilled hackers with an unusually high 90/10 affiliate revenue split.
A cybercrime group known as The Gentlemen has emerged as the second most active ransomware gang by victim count, rapidly attracting a talented pool of hackers through an aggressive recruitment strategy that promises affiliates 90 percent of any ransom paid by victims. This post examines clues pointing to a real life identity for the administrator…
A newly discovered, critical zero-day vulnerability is under attack; a Qilin ransomware affiliate has been blamed for at least one incident.
A Qilin ransomware affiliate is believed to be exploiting CVE-2026-50751, an authentication bypass vulnerability in Check Point VPN Remote Access and Mobile Access, the company announced on Monday. About CVE-2026-50751 Check Point Remote Access VPN enables and secures connections between corporate networks and remote or mobile devices. Check Point Mobile Access lets mobile and remote…
Sales of AI-based tools is accelerating within underground ransomware marketplaces, lowering the barrier to entry for new actors in the process. An analysis of Telegram channels, 20 dark web forums, and five underground markets by anti-ransomware platform vendor Halcyon found that AI utility posts grew to 1,486 in February 2026, up from just 38 in…
Online fraud complaints, ransomware cases, and phishing tips reach Slovenia’s national cyber response center in steady volume, and a team of around a dozen analysts sorts through them. Gorazd Božič, who manages SI-CERT at the public agency ARNES, described that work in an interview conducted in person at the Span Cyber Security Arena conference. He…
A threat actor is using an AI-built ransomware attack toolkit that automates Active Directory discovery and helps evade endpoint detection and response (EDR) solutions. […]
The data analyzed by the Ransomnews Research Team indicates that ransomware operations largely follow a business week, with significantly fewer posts on Sundays compared to Mondays and Tuesdays.
The DIL Observatory maps cyber incidents, including ransomware attacks, data breaches, and cyber militia activity, alongside their geopolitical and social contexts.
16,699 ransomware leak posts over 2 years show 84% drop Monday–Friday, peak at European afternoon hours. October spikes yearly. Someone analyzed 16,699 ransomware leak-site posts across 200 groups over two years and asked the question most threat intelligence reports dance around: when does this actually happen? The answer is mundane and useful. Ransomware runs on…
16,699 ransomware leak posts over 2 years show 84% drop Monday–Friday, peak at European afternoon hours. October spikes yearly. Someone analyzed 16,699 ransomware leak-site posts across 200 groups over two years and asked the question most threat intelligence reports dance around: when does this actually happen? The answer is mundane and useful. Ransomware runs on…
Ransomware operators have spent years refining the art of locking files. Now, some are working harder to get those lockers to every reachable system first. Microsoft’s recent warning of the Gentlemen ransomware revealed its operators using a self-propagating Go-based encryptor capable of moving laterally through compromised environments and deploying itself across additional systems. “Modern ransomware…
CryptoLocker. WannaCry. DarkSide. Conti. MedusaLocker. Qilin. The ransomware threat has exploded over the past decade, and it isn’t going away anytime soon; the news brings constant reports of new waves of this pernicious type of malware washing across the world. Ransomware gained in popularity in large part because of the immediate financial payoff for attackers:…
A Nord Security study analyzing leaked ransomware negotiation transcripts shows how modern ransomware groups increasingly operate like professional sales organizations. The report found that attackers frequently use discounts, upselling tactics, psychological pressure, and negotiation strategies to maximize payments from victims. The report reviewed 246 leaked negotiation transcripts from 2020 to 2026, covering more than 11,500…
A notorious ransomware gang claims to have stolen MyPillow’s private data, but CEO Mike Lindell calls it a politically motivated “hit job.” With the countdown ticking toward a massive dark web leak, who is telling the truth? Read more in my article on the Hot for Security blog.
Qumulo has unveiled Qumulo NeuralProtect, a ransomware resilience solution built to protect data at the storage layer by detecting and stopping threats before data is encrypted, corrupted, or lost. Integrated directly into the Qumulo Data Platform, NeuralProtect inspects every file at the precise point-of-write using a series of AI-driven analysis models to detect both known…
A 5-year study on the Ransomware Economy found that 30,515 exposed databases were hit by ransom attacks, causing massive damage despite victims never paying. Database extortion doesn’t look like the ransomware stories that usually grab headlines. There’s no slick branding, no leak-site countdown, no gang posting memes on Telegram. In most cases, there’s just a…
F-Secure Internet Security protects against viruses, ransomware, spyware, infected email attachments, and other cyber threats. It focuses on securing devices and online activity through malware protection, scam prevention, safe browsing, and banking safeguards. The platform supports Windows, macOS, Android, and iOS devices under a single subscription. After downloading the Android app from the Play Store,…
If you were hit by ransomware tomorrow, would you pay to get your data back? That’s what more than half of CISOs in a recent survey said their organization would do. It’s a situation more companies are going to face in future. “Attacks are increasing and continuing to increase,” said Christy Wyatt, CEO of security…
Ransomware gangs are shifting from encryption to pure extortion, focusing on stolen data, reputational pressure, and stealthier attacks. Ransomware groups are quietly changing strategy in 2026. Instead of encrypting systems and causing immediate disruption, many attackers are now focusing on pure extortion: stealing sensitive data and threatening to leak it publicly if victims refuse to…
Ransomware and vendor breaches persist, but the 2026 Data Breach Investigations Report (DBIR) highlights how evolving social engineering tactics make the sector more vulnerable.
First VPN, a service used by ransomware actors and fraudsters, was dismantled by Europol
A virtual private network service called ‘First VPN,’ used in ransomware and data theft attacks, has been taken offline in a joint international law enforcement operation. […]
Europol has seized First VPN, a service used by ransomware gangs, arrested its administrator and gained access to data linked to thousands of users.
The Gentlemen ransomware gang suffered an internal breach in May 2026, exposing victim data, affiliate activity, and backend operations.
Ransomware, supply chain vulnerabilities, insider threats, compliance failures, and software disruptions remain major concerns for security leaders, according to The Ransomware Reality: Zero Days to Recover report by Absolute Security. How CISOs currently ensure endpoint resilience against ransomware (overall, %) (Source: Absolute Security) A survey of 750 CISOs from enterprise organizations with more than 5,000…
Brute-force attempts against SMB services can be early signs of an attack Categories: Threat Research Tags: Ransomware, WantToCry, SMB
The moment every boardroom dreads There is a moment in almost every ransomware negotiation — usually around 36 hours, when legal, IT and the CFO are all in the same room — when someone says it out loud: “Let’s just see what the insurance covers.” That instinct, understandable as it is, has become one of…
A Nitrogen ransomware attack on Foxconn’s North American facilities is one of 600 hits on manufacturers this year, as gangs increasingly target the sector for its low tolerance for downtime.
Use AI-powered predictive DNS defense in Cisco Secure Access to disrupt ransomware and streamline your SOC investigations.
Foxconn confirmed a cyberattack on some North American factories. The Nitrogen ransomware group claims it stole 8TB of data from the firm. Foxconn confirmed that several of its North American factories were affected by a cyberattack. The manufacturer confirmed it was targeted by threat actors after the Nitrogen ransomware group listed it on its Tor…
An OPSEC failure provides a window into what helped the ransomware group rise: a generous affiliate model, opportunistic TTPs, and an effective organizational structure.
Apple’s key manufacturing partner Foxconn has confirmed its US factories suffered a ransomware attack in recent days after the gang responsible claimed to have stolen 8TB of data from the company — including confidential Apple information. This isn’t the first attack to hit Foxconn, and such is the scale and value of the company that it is unlikely…
Canadian telecom providers face mounting cyber threats from ransomware, SIM swapping, data breaches, and nation-state attacks targeting critical infrastructure.
Why most endpoint protection still treats ransomware as just another piece of malware, and what changes when you watch the data instead of the attacker. Categories: Products & Services Tags: Ransomware, Endpoint, Sophos Endpoint, EDR, AI, artificial intelligence
Outdated maintenance software increases ransomware risk by exposing weak access controls, unpatched systems, and critical operational data to attackers.
An Iranian state-sponsored espionage group is pretending to be a regular ransomware gang in a new wave of ransomware attacks targeting enterprises. APT group MuddyWater (aka Seedworm) is masquerading as the Chaos ransomware-as-a-service group to confuse incident response and mask its spying and cyber-sabotage, according to research by security vendor Rapid7. The attacks — geared…
The MuddyWater Iranian hackers disguised their operations as a Chaos ransomware attack, relying on Microsoft Teams social engineering to gain access and establish persistence. […]
Rapid7 reveals an Iranian false flag operation masquerading as a Chaos ransomware attack
A federal judge sentenced a Latvian national to 102 months in prison for his involvement in a series of ransomware attacks for more than two years prior to his arrest in 2023, the Justice Department said Monday. Deniss Zolotarjovs, a resident of Moscow at the time, helped an organization led by former leaders of the…
A Latvian national who was part of a major Russian ransomware organization that stole from and extorted more than 54 companies has been sentenced to 102 months in prison. Deniss Zolotarjovs, 35, of Moscow, Russia, was part of a group linked to former members of the Conti ransomware group. Prosecutors said the group used several…
VECT 2.0 ransomware contains fatal flaws that permanently destroy files, making recovery impossible and rendering ransom payments useless for victims worldwide.
Two US security experts were sentenced to 4 years for helping ransomware attacks. A third accomplice pleaded guilty and awaits sentencing. Two US cybersecurity professionals, Ryan Goldberg and Kevin Martin, were sentenced to four years in prison for their role in supporting ransomware attacks. Both pleaded guilty to conspiracy involving extortion. A third individual, Angelo…
Two US cybersecurity experts jailed for aiding BlackCat ransomware group, extorting victims worldwide and exploiting insider access for profit.
The cybersecurity workers used their knowledge and skills to conduct ransomware attacks for notorious gang, rather than protect victims against them
Two former cybersecurity professionals who moonlighted as cybercriminals, committing a series of ransomware attacks in 2023, were each sentenced to four years in prison, the Justice Department said Thursday. Ryan Clifford Goldberg and Kevin Tyler Martin previously pleaded guilty to one of three charges brought against them in December and faced up to 20 years…
The emerging ransomware has been deployed against victims of the TeamPCP supply chain attacks, but organizations should think twice before paying for a decryptor.
The Vect 2.0 ransomware wipes large files instead of merely encrypting them, making recovery impossible – even for the attackers
Researchers are warning that the VECT 2.0 ransomware has a problem in the way it handles encryption nonces that leads to permanently destroying larger files rather than encrypt them. […]
Ransomware groups 0APT and KryBit have doxxed each other online
Trigona ransomware now uses a custom command-line tool to steal data faster and evade detection, replacing tools like Rclone and MegaSync. Symantec researchers report that recent Trigona ransomware attacks used a custom-built data exfiltration tool instead of common utilities like Rclone or MegaSync. This shift, seen in March 2026 incidents, gives attackers more control and…
Recently observed Trigona ransomware attacks are using a custom, command-line tool to steal data from compromised environments faster and more efficiently. […]
Leaked data from RAMP reveals Russia’s ransomware ecosystem, analyzing 1,732 threads, 7,707 users, and 340,000 IP records from the forum. RAMP was not just another dark web forum. It was one of the clearest examples of how ransomware has become an organized marketplace, with sellers, buyers, brokers, and recruiters all playing different roles in the…
Not nearly as polite as the name suggests, the ransomware gang has impressed researchers with its speed in scaling up operations — and its sophistication.
A new Kyber ransomware operation is targeting Windows systems and VMware ESXi endpoints in recent attacks, with one variant implementing Kyber1024 post-quantum encryption. […]
A former ransomware negotiator has pleaded guilty to abusing his position by working with noted cybercrime group BlackCat
A South Florida man pleaded guilty to conspiring with multiple ransomware affiliates to commit attacks against and extort payments from the same U.S. companies he represented as a ransomware negotiator for DigitalMint in 2023, the Justice Department said Monday. Angelo John Martino III shared confidential information about victim organizations’ internal negotiating positions and insurance policy…
Angelo Martino pleaded guilty to helping BlackCat ransomware group while acting as a ransomware negotiator. Another U.S. cybersecurity expert, Angelo Martino, admitted helping the BlackCat ransomware group while working as a ransomware negotiator. Angelo Martino (41) admitted helping the BlackCat ransomware group while working for a U.S. incident response firm. “A Florida man, formerly employed…
Lawmakers at a hearing Tuesday explored ways to beef up punishments for ransomware attacks against hospitals, possibly by labeling them as more severe crimes. One proposal floated at the House Homeland Security Committee hearing, to treat ransomware attacks as terrorism, is an idea Congress has flirted with before. Another would be to press prosecutors to…
A Florida man, formerly employed as a ransomware negotiator, pleaded guilty to conspiring to carry out ransomware attacks against US companies. Prosecutors say Angelo Martino, 41, used his position at DigitalMint, a crypto broker that helps victims negotiate and pay ransomware demands, to pass sensitive information to attackers. Alongside Martino, two more individuals were involved…
A third individual who was employed as a ransomware negotiator has pleaded guilty to conducting ransomware attacks against U.S. companies in 2023. Angelo Martino, 41, of Land O’Lakes, Florida, teamed up with the operators of the BlackCat ransomware starting in April 2023 to assist the e-crime gang in extracting higher amounts as ransoms. “Working as…
Brute-force activity, fast-moving ransomware and new phishing techniques identified in latest Managed XDR analysis
The Payouts King ransomware is using the QEMU emulator as a reverse SSH backdoor to run hidden virtual machines on compromised systems and bypass endpoint security. […]
A ransomware attack on Cookeville Regional Medical Center hospital (Tennessee) exposed data of 337,000 people after hackers stole 500GB of sensitive information from its systems. A ransomware attack on Cookeville Regional Medical Center (CRMC) in Tennessee led to a major data breach affecting about 337,000 people. The attack, carried out by the Rhysida group, involved…
Tennessee’s CRMC notifies over 337,000 patients of Rhysida ransomware breach exposing sensitive data
Halcyon says ransomware now accounts for more than two-fifths of cyber-attacks targeting carmakers
ViperTunnel is a Python-based backdoor linked to DragonForce ransomware that targets businesses using Windows servers across the US and the UK.
Dutch healthcare IT firm ChipSoft suffered a ransomware attack, forcing services and its HiX platform offline, impacting hospitals and patients. ChipSoft, a major Dutch provider of EHR systems, was hit by a ransomware attack that forced it to take its website and digital services offline, disrupting access for hospitals, healthcare providers, and patients. EHR (Electronic…
Qilin, Akira and Dragonforce were responsible for 40% of 672 ransomware incidents reported in March, says Check Point
Dutch healthcare software vendor ChipSoft has been impacted by a ransomware attack that forced the company to take offline its website and digital services for patients and healthcare providers. […]
China-based actor Storm-1175 runs fast ransomware attacks, exploiting new flaws to breach systems and quickly deploy Medusa ransomware. China-based actor Storm-1175 carries out fast, financially driven ransomware attacks by exploiting newly disclosed vulnerabilities before organizations patch them. The group targets exposed systems and quickly moves from initial access to data theft and Medusa ransomware deployment,…
Microsoft has warned that Storm-1175, a cybercrime group linked to Medusa ransomware, is exploiting vulnerable web-facing systems in fast-moving attacks, at times moving from initial access to data theft and ransomware deployment within 24 hours. The company said the group has heavily targeted organizations in healthcare, education, professional services, and finance across Australia, the UK,…
Microsoft has released a new report about the Storm-1175 group and its connection to Medusa ransomware
A China-based threat actor known for deploying Medusa ransomware has been linked to the weaponization of a combination of zero-day and N-day vulnerabilities to orchestrate “high-velocity” attacks and break into susceptible internet-facing systems. “The threat actor’s high operational tempo and proficiency in identifying exposed perimeter assets have proven successful, with recent
German police BKA identified two key REvil ransomware members, linking them to over 130 attacks in Germany. Germany’s Federal Criminal Police (BKA) has identified two key figures behind the REvil ransomware group, linking them to more than 130 attacks in the country. The first suspect is Daniil Maksimovich Shchukin (31), a Russian national known online…
Threat actors associated with Qilin and Warlock ransomware operations have been observed using the bring your own vulnerable driver (BYOVD) technique to silence security tools running on compromised hosts, according to findings from Cisco Talos and Trend Micro. Qilin attacks analyzed by Talos have been found to deploy a malicious DLL named “msimg32.dll,”
An elusive hacker who went by the handle “UNKN” and ran the early Russian ransomware groups GandCrab and REvil now has a name and a face. Authorities in Germany say 31-year-old Russian Daniil Maksimovich Shchukin headed both cybercrime gangs and helped carry out at least 130 acts of computer sabotage and extortion against victims across…
Qilin ransomware claims it stole data from Germany’s Die Linke and threatens to leak it; the party confirmed the incident, but not a breach. The Qilin ransomware group claims it stole data from Die Linke, a German political party, and is threatening to release it. Die Linke is a left-wing political party in Germany. Its…
The Qilin ransomware group has claimed responsibility for an attack against Die Linke (‘The Left’), forcing an IT systems outage at the political party, and threatening sensitive data leak. […]
Multi-extortion ransomware relies on stolen data to pressure victims with public leaks. Penta Security explains how its D.AMO platform keeps exfiltrated files encrypted and useless to attackers. […]
The Akira ransomware group has compromised hundreds of victims over the past year with a well-honed attack lifecycle that has whittled down the time from initial access to encryption of data in less than four hours, according to cybersecurity firm Halcyon. Akira has been active since 2023, racking up at least $245 million in ransom…
Team Cymru details the Yurei ransomware campaign, using standard tools and a few Stranger Things–named payloads to breach and encrypt systems.
Halcyon says Akira is now capable of carrying out an entire ransomware attack in less than an hour
New research from Seqrite explains the ‘dual-use dilemma,’ where ransomware attackers repurpose legitimate IT tools like IOBit Unlocker…
Google announced that the AI-powered Google Drive ransomware detection feature has reached general availability and is now enabled by default for all paying users. […]
Qilin ransomware claims a breach of Dow Inc., listing it on its Tor leak site, but no proof of the hack has been released yet. Qilin Ransomware group allegedly breached the chemical manufacturing giant Dow Inc. The cybercrime group added the company to its Tor data leak site, but at this time, it has not…
SAN FRANCISCO — Every RSA Conference has its buzzwords. Cloud. Ransomware. Zero trust. Plastered across the 87-acre Moscone Center complex on every booth, banner and bar. This year was AI, with vendors pitching AI-powered solutions to every security problem imaginable. But 2026 stood out for a different reason: Industry leaders spent the conference warning about…
Halcyon and Beazley Security track the return of Iranian ransomware group Pay2Key

In a startling revelation, cybersecurity experts have noted that AI coding tools have significantly undermined the effectiveness of endpoint security systems. This shift, identified by researcher Dr. Emily Carter, has raised alarms across the industry, prompting discussions about the vulnerabilities that these advanced AI technologies present. The trend emerged prominently throughout 2023, as companies worldwide…
A Russian citizen, Aleksei Volkov, was sentenced to 81 months in prison for helping ransomware groups carry out attacks causing over $9 million in actual losses and over $24 million in intended losses, after being arrested in Italy and extradited to the United States where he pleaded guilty. According to prosecutors, Volkov was an initial…
U.S. sentences Russian hacker Aleksei Volkov to 81 months in prison for aiding ransomware attacks, causing over $9M in damages. A U.S. court sentenced Aleksei Olegovich Volkov to 81 months in prison for supporting ransomware groups like Yanluowang. He helped carry out dozens of attacks, causing over $9M in losses. Arrested in Italy in 2024…