Tag: Ransomware
Healthcare cyber-attacks now “a national security threat”
Search engine giant's Google Threat Intelligence Group reports that cybercriminal and state-backed cyber-attacks on the healthcare sector in countries such as the US and UK have escalated to a level where they are actually costing lives. “Healthcare's share of posts on data leak sites has doubled over the past three years, even as the number of data leak sites tracked by Google Threat Intelligence Group has increased by nearly 50% year over year. The impact of these attacks means that they must be taken seriously as a national security threat, no matter the motivation of the actors behind it,” says Google.
‘Dark Unicorns’ target US healthcare
Ransomware attacks on the healthcare sector have risen by a third in 2024 with the US the prime target. Cybersecurity company Black Kite reports 374 incidents in the past year, a 32.16 percent rise in the number of attacks on the industry over 2023. Healthcare is now among the top targets for ransomware, surpassed only by manufacturing and professional services. The rapid rise in ransomware attacks on the healthcare sector is the result of increasing ruthlessness on the part of ransomware gangs. Until relatively recently, some sectors, such as healthcare and education, were considered off-limits. According to Black Kite, if an affiliated criminal gang attacked a healthcare organization, the core ransomware group would frequently step in, apologizing to the victim organization -sometimes even decrypting the ransomed data for free.
‘Hellcat’ is new breed of cybercriminal
A ransomware gang, Hellcat, that emerged in 2024 is being seen as representative of a new type of threat actor using off-the-shelf malware and innovative extortion techniques. According to cybersecurity company Cato Networks: “Hellcat’s emergence in 2024 marks a troubling shift in the landscape of cybercrime. By leveraging a ransomware-as-a-service (RaaS) model and utilizing double extortion tactics, Hellcat has not only increased the accessibility of ransomware but also heightened the psychological impact on its victims.”
AI enables ransomware boom
A new ransomware group, named Funksec, is the latest example of relatively inexperienced cybercriminals using AI to develop weaponized malware. The group claims that over 85 organizations fell victim to its ransomware attacks in December alone, potentially surpassing every other ransomware group in terms of victim numbers. According to Check Point Research: “FunkSec operators appear to use AI-assisted malware development which can enable even inexperienced actors to quickly produce and refine advanced tools…Presenting itself as a new Ransomware-as-a-Service (RaaS) operation, FunkSec appears to have no known connections to previously identified ransomware gangs.”
Ransomware gangs target law and accountancy firms
In what is bad news for law and accounting firms, the professional and technical services sector has now overtaken the manufacturing sector as the prime target for ransomware attacks of Q3 2024. According to cybersecurity company Nuspire: “These firms handle highly sensitive client data, such as financial records, legal documents, and business strategies, making them prime targets for ransomware operators.” Nuspire predicts that, with ransom demands averaging around $2.5 million a hit for law firms, ransomware operators will continue to target this sector as long as the potential rewards outweigh the effort. The situation is particularly dire for smaller practices, which may lack the resources to protect against today’s increasingly ruthless and sophisticated cyber-attacks.
US Puts $10M Bounty on Chinese Hacker
A Chinese national, Guan Tianfeng, has been accused of involvement in the hacking of 81,000 firewall devices all over the world in 2020. Some of the compromised devices were protecting systems running US critical infrastructure and, had the attacks gone undetected, they could have had potentially deadly consequences. The US Department of State’s Rewards for Justice (RFJ) program has since announced a reward of up to $10 million for information leading to the arrest of Guan and his alleged co-conspirators. “The defendant and his conspirators compromised tens of thousands of firewalls and then continued to hold at risk these devices, which protect computers in the United States and around the world,” said Assistant Attorney General for National Security Matthew G. Olsen.
US Healthcare companies on high cyber-alert
While the assassination of health insurance CEO Brian Thompson on the streets of central New York last week has been grabbing headlines this month, life-endangering cyber-attacks on the US healthcare industry are escalating at an alarming rate. Once again, the pressing need for both IT and physical security could not be more clear. According to John Riggi, national advisor for healthcare security and risk at the American Hospital Association, healthcare security must now be seen as far more than just an IT issue. This year has seen what amounts to a sea change in the way healthcare executives must view not only their own personal security but also the impact of cyber-attacks not only on their bottom line but also on the lives and well-being of patients.
Russian Authorities Arrest FBI’s Most Wanted Hacker
The FBI’s most wanted hacker, Mikhail Pavlovich Matveev, dubbed the “Moriarty” of cybercrime, has finally been arrested by Russian authorities. Described by the FBI as a “prolific” cybercriminal, Matveev has had a $10 million bounty on his head for any information leading to his arrest since 2023. The arrest is a turning point on the part of the Russian authorities, as cybercriminals have long seen Russia as a safe haven. According to intelligence sources, this could either represent an attempt to try and legitimize the Russian economy or an indication that the state is taking back control of cyber-attacks on Western economies.
INC Ransom Hits Three UK Health Orgs – December 4th
German authorities have made arrests linked to drug-selling platform Crimenetwork, seizing over $1 million in crypto assets. Crimenetwork is alleged to be the largest darkweb marketplace in the country and enabled users to buy and sell drugs, and offered illicit services such as the forging of documents and trading of stolen data.
The root of the problem for dentists
In an exclusive interview with Cyber Intelligence, Tom Terrenez, the chief executive of Medix Dental IT, describes the cyber-threats currently overwhelming many US dental practices. His warnings concerning data can be equally applied to doctors’ surgeries, upmarket beauticians and hairdressers, and other small businesses that provide personal services.
Russian gang shuts down two Indiana counties
Clay County, Indiana, in the US, is sounding a Local Disaster Declaration in the wake of a “criminal ransomware attack” that occurred last week, following reports of increasing cyber-attacks on local governments across America. “Clay County local government suffered a significant ransomware attack in the early morning hours of July 9, 2024. This has resulted in an inability to provide critical services required for the daily operation of all offices of the Clay County Courthouse, Community Corrections, and Clay County Probation,” said the county in an official statement.
It’s official…It definitely IS the Russians
The US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has laid the blame for escalating worldwide ransomware attacks squarely at Russia’s door. Speaking at the 2024 Boston Conference on Cyber Security last week, FBI Cyber Division Assistant Director Bryan Vorndran said: “Almost all of the criminals developing sophisticated malware to enable ransomware attacks are based in Russian-speaking countries and operate as organized crime syndicates, similar to traditional organized crime elements.” He focused on the FBI’s earlier this year disruption of Dark Web ransomware gang LockBit, stressing that organized cybercriminal gangs, particularly Russian ones, are essentially the same as old-school mafia mobsters. They differ only in their methods and avenues of attack.