Ransomware Decryption Key | Breaking Cybersecurity News | The Hacker News

Researchers have detailed what they call the "first successful attempt" at decrypting data infected with Hive ransomware without relying on the private key used to lock access to the content. "We were able to recover the master key for generating the file encryption key without the attacker's private key, by using a cryptographic vulnerability identified through analysis," a group of academics from South Korea's Kookmin University  said  in a new paper dissecting its encryption process. Hive, like other cybercriminal groups, operates a ransomware-as-a-service that uses different mechanisms to compromise business networks, exfiltrate data, and encrypt data on the networks, and attempts to collect a ransom in exchange for access to the decryption software. It was  first observed  in June 2021, when it struck a company called Altus Group. Hive leverages a variety of initial compromise methods, including vulnerable RDP servers, compromised VPN credentials,...

Ransomware has been around for a few years but has become an albatross around everyone's neck—from big businesses and financial institutions to hospitals and individuals worldwide—with cyber criminals making millions of dollars. In just past few months, we saw a scary strain of ransomware attacks including WannaCry , Petya and LeakerLocker , which made chaos worldwide by shutting down hospitals, vehicle manufacturing, telecommunications, banks and many businesses. Before WannaCry and Petya , the infamous Mamba full-disk-encrypting ransomware and the Locky ransomware had made chaos across the world last year, and the bad news is—they are back with their new and more damaging variants than ever before. Diablo6: New Variant of Locky Ransomware First surfaced in early 2016, Locky has been one of the largest distributed ransomware infections, infecting organisations across the globe. By tricking victims into clicking on a malicious attachment, Locky ransomware encrypt...

Vulnerability Management (VM) has long been a cornerstone of organizational cybersecurity. Nearly as old as the discipline of cybersecurity itself, it aims to help organizations identify and address potential security issues before they become serious problems. Yet, in recent years, the limitations of this approach have become increasingly evident.  At its core, Vulnerability Management processes remain essential for identifying and addressing weaknesses. But as time marches on and attack avenues evolve, this approach is beginning to show its age. In a recent report, How to Grow Vulnerability Management into Exposure Management (Gartner, How to Grow Vulnerability Management Into Exposure Management, 8 November 2024, Mitchell Schneider Et Al.), we believe Gartner® addresses this point precisely and demonstrates how organizations can – and must – shift from a vulnerability-centric strategy to a broader Exposure Management (EM) framework. We feel it's more than a worthwhile read an...

Rejoice Petya-infected victims! The master key for the original version of the Petya ransomware has been released by its creator, allowing Petya-infected victims to recover their encrypted files without paying any ransom money. But wait, Petya is not NotPetya. Do not confuse Petya ransomware with the latest destructive NotPetya ransomware (also known as ExPetr and Eternal Petya) attacks that wreaked havoc across the world last month, massively targeting multiple entities in Ukraine and parts of Europe. The Petya ransomware has three variants that have infected many systems around the world, but now the author of the original malware, goes by the pseudonym Janus , made the master key available on Wednesday. According to the security researchers, victims infected with previous variants of Petya ransomware, including Red Petya (first version) and Green Petya (second version) and early versions the GoldenEye ransomware can get their encrypted files back using the master key....

The author of original Petya ransomware is back. After 6 months of silence, the author of the now infamous Petya ransomware appeared today on Twitter to help victims unlock their files encrypted by a new version of Petya, also known as NotPetya . "We're back having a look in NotPetya," tweeted Janus, a name Petya creator previously chose for himself from a villain in James Bond. "Maybe it's crackable with our privkey. Please upload the first 1MB of an infected device, that would help." This statement made by the Petya author suggests he may have held onto a master decryption key , which if it works for the new variant of Petya infected files, the victims would be able to decrypt their files locked in the recent cyber outcry. Janus sold Petya as a Ransomware-as-a-Service (RaaS) to other hackers in March 2016, and like any regular ransomware, original Petya was designed to lock victim's computer, then return them when a ransom is paid. This ...

Hit by Jaff Ransomware? Don't pay the Ransom. You can unlock your files for Free! Kaspersky Labs has released an updated version 1.21.2.1 of its free ransomware decryption tool, RakhniDecryptor, which can now also decrypt files locked by the Jaff ransomware . Security researchers at Kaspersky Labs have discovered a weakness in the Jaff ransomware code that makes it possible for victims to unlock their Jaff-infected files for free. First identified last month, Jaff is relatively new ransomware that's being distributed with the help of ' Necurs botnet ' that currently controls over 6 million infected computers worldwide. Necurs botnet is the same botnet – army of compromised internet connected devices – that was used to distribute Dridex Banking Trojan and Locky ransomware , which also infects users' machines, encrypt files and then demand a ransom before unlocking them. Jaff ransomware (Trojan-Ransom.Win32.Jaff) attack is primarily carried out by sending ...

What you'll do if Ransomware infects you? Should you pay or not to recover your files? Believe me, the FBI advises - Pay off the criminals to get your files back if you don't have a backup. But paying off a ransom to cyber criminals is definitely not a wise option because there is no guarantee that you'll get the decryption key in return. In the latest incident, the new variant of KillDisk ransomware has been found encrypting Linux machines, making them unbootable with data permanently lost. What is KillDisk? KillDisk is a destructive data wiping malware that has previously been used to sabotage companies by randomly deleting files from the computers. KillDisk is the same component associated with the Black Energy malware that was used to hit several Ukrainian power stations in 2015, cutting power for thousands of people. But according to ESET security researchers, the nasty KillDisk disk wiper malware is back with new variants that target Windows and Lin...