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In Brief: Introducing  RansomWhere , a free generic ransomware detection tool for Mac OS X users that can identify ransomware-like behavior by continually monitoring the file-system for the creation of encrypted files by suspicious processes. This ransomware detection tool helps to block the suspicious processes and waits for the user to decide whether to allow or stop the process. Ransomware has risen dramatically since last few years... so rapidly that it might have already hit someone you know. With hundred of thousands of ransomware samples emerging every day, it is quite difficult for traditional signature-based antivirus products to keep their signature database up-to-date. So, if signature-based techniques are not enough to detect ransomware infection , then what else can we do? Some Antivirus companies have already upgraded their security solutions that detect suspicious behaviors like the sequential accessing of a large number of files, using encryption al...

Ransomware has risen dramatically since last few years, so rapidly that it might have already hit you or someone you know. With hundred of thousands of ransomware variants emerging every day, it is quite difficult for traditional signature-based antivirus tools to keep their signature database up-to-date. So, if signature-based techniques are not enough to detect ransomware infection, then what else can we do? The solution is RansomFree . Boston-based cyber security firm Cybereason has released RansomFree — a real-time ransomware detection and response software that can spot most strains of Ransomware before it starts encrypting files and alert the user to take action. RansomFree is a free standalone product and is compatible with PCs running Windows 7, 8 and 10, as well as Windows Server 2010 R2 and 2008 R2. Instead of regularly updated malware signatures to fight the bad programs, RansomFree uses "behavioral and proprietary deception" techniques to detect ne...

If your computer has been infected with Thanatos Ransomware and you are searching for a free ransomware decryption tool to unlock or decrypt your files—your search is over here. Security researchers at Cisco Talos have discovered a weakness in the Thanatos ransomware code that makes it possible for victims to unlock their Thanatos encrypted files for free without paying any ransom in cryptocurrencies. Like all ransomware threats, Thanatos encrypts files and asks victims to pay for ransom in multiple cryptocurrencies, including Bitcoin Cash, to decrypt their files. "Multiple versions of Thanatos have been leveraged by attackers, indicating that this is an evolving threat that continues to be actively developed by threat actors with multiple versions having been distributed in the wild," the researchers say.  "Unlike other ransomware commonly being distributed, Thanatos does not demand ransom payments to be made using a single cryptocurrency like bitcoin. Inste...

Ransomware doesn't hit all at once—it slowly floods your defenses in stages. Like a ship subsumed with water, the attack starts quietly, below the surface, with subtle warning signs that are easy to miss. By the time encryption starts, it's too late to stop the flood.  Each stage of a ransomware attack offers a small window to detect and stop the threat before it's too late. The problem is most organizations aren't monitoring for early warning signs - allowing attackers to quietly disable backups, escalate privileges, and evade detection until encryption locks everything down. By the time the ransomware note appears, your opportunities are gone.  Let's unpack the stages of a ransomware attack, how to stay resilient amidst constantly morphing indicators of compromise (IOCs), and why constant validation of your defense is a must to stay resilient. The Three Stages of a Ransomware Attack - and How to Detect It Ransomware attacks don't happen instantly. Attackers follow a st...

Tactical similarities have been unearthed between the double extortion ransomware group known as Rhysida and Vice Society , including in their targeting of education and healthcare sectors. "As Vice Society was observed deploying a variety of commodity ransomware payloads, this link does not suggest that Rhysida is exclusively used by Vice Society, but shows with at least medium confidence that Vice Society operators are now using Rhysida ransomware," Check Point  said  in a new report. Vice Society , tracked by Microsoft under the name Storm-0832, has a  pattern  of employing already existing ransomware binaries that are sold on criminal forums to pull off their attacks. The financially motivated gang has also been observed resorting to pure extortion-themed attacks wherein the data is exfiltrated without encrypting them. First observed in May 2023, the  Rhysida  ransomware group is known to rely on phishing attacks and Cobalt Strike to breach target...

Ransomware has evolved into a deceptive, highly coordinated and dangerously sophisticated threat capable of crippling organizations of any size. Cybercriminals now exploit even legitimate IT tools to infiltrate networks and launch ransomware attacks. In a chilling example, Microsoft recently disclosed how threat actors misused its Quick Assist remote assistance tool to deploy the destructive Black Basta ransomware strain. And what's worse? Innovations like Ransomware-as-a-Service (RaaS) are lowering the bar for entry, making ransomware attacks more frequent and far-reaching than ever before. According to Cybersecurity Ventures , by 2031, a new ransomware attack is expected every 2 seconds, with projected damages hitting an astronomical $275 billion annually. No organization is immune to ransomware, and building a strong recovery strategy is equally, if not even more, important than attempting to prevent all attacks in the first place. A solid business continuity and disaster re...

Imagine a sophisticated cyberattack cripples your organization's most critical productivity and collaboration tool — the platform you rely on for daily operations. In the blink of an eye, hackers encrypt your emails, files, and crucial business data stored in Microsoft 365, holding it hostage using ransomware. Productivity grinds to a halt and your IT team races to assess the damage as the clock ticks down on a ransom demand that threatens to destroy your data forever. How did this happen, and more importantly, how can you prevent it from happening? Microsoft 365 (M365) is the lifeblood of countless organizations worldwide, offering a seamless, cloud-based platform for communication, collaboration and data management. Over 400 million users rely on Microsoft 365 for everything from document creation and management to video conferencing 1 . While M365 has empowered businesses to undergo digital transformation and remain competitive with its support for distributed, hybrid and remote w...

Fake installers for popular artificial intelligence (AI) tools like OpenAI ChatGPT and InVideo AI are being used as lures to propagate various threats, such as the CyberLock and Lucky_Gh0$t ransomware families, and a new malware dubbed Numero. "CyberLock ransomware, developed using PowerShell, primarily focuses on encrypting specific files on the victim's system," Cisco Talos researcher Chetan Raghuprasad said in a report published today. "Lucky_Gh0$t ransomware is yet another variant of the Yashma ransomware, which is the sixth iteration of the Chaos ransomware series, featuring only minor modifications to the ransomware binary." Numero, on the other hand, is a destructive malware that impacts victims by manipulating the graphical user interface (GUI) components of their Windows operating system, thereby rendering the machines unusable. The cybersecurity company said the legitimate versions of the AI tools are popular in the business-to-business (B2B) sal...

A single ransomware attack on a New Zealand managed service provider (MSP) disrupted several of its clients' business operations overnight, most belonging to the healthcare sector. According to the country's privacy commissioner, " a cyber security incident involving a ransomware attack " in late November upended the daily operations of New Zealand's health ministry when it prevented the staff from accessing thousands of medical records. The Ministry of Justice, six health regulatory authorities, a health insurer, and a handful of other businesses also number among those affected by second-hand damage from the attack. There are ways to  recover from a ransomware attack , but the damage often extends into that attacked organization's customers and vendors.  The targeted MSP in this incident is Mercury IT, a business based in Australia. Te Whatu Ora, the New Zealand health ministry, was unable to access at least 14,000 medical records because of the outage at ...

This week, cyber attackers are moving quickly, and businesses need to stay alert. They're finding new weaknesses in popular software and coming up with clever ways to get around security. Even one unpatched flaw could let attackers in, leading to data theft or even taking control of your systems. The clock is ticking—if defenses aren't updated regularly, it could lead to serious damage. The message is clear: don't wait for an attack to happen. Take action now to protect your business. Here's a look at some of the biggest stories in cybersecurity this week: from new flaws in WinRAR and NVIDIA Triton to advanced attack techniques you should know about. Let's get into the details. ⚡ Threat of the Week Trend Micro Warns of Actively Exploited 0-Day — Trend Micro has released temporary mitigations to address critical security flaws in on-premise versions of Apex One Management Console that it said have been exploited in the wild. The vulnerabilities (CVE-2025-54948 and CVE-2025-54987),...

Even as the operators of Conti threatened to overthrow the Costa Rican government , the notorious cybercrime gang officially took down its attack infrastructure in favor of migrating their malicious cyber activities to other ancillary operations, including Karakurt and BlackByte. "From the negotiations site, chatrooms, messengers to servers and proxy hosts - the Conti brand, not the organization itself, is shutting down," AdvIntel researchers Yelisey Bogusalvskiy and Vitali Kremez  said  in a report. "However, this does not mean that the threat actors themselves are retiring." The voluntary termination, with the exception of its name-and-shame blog, is said to have occurred on May 19, 2022, while an organizational rejig was happening simultaneously to ensure a smooth transition of the ransomware group's members. AdvIntel said Conti, which is also tracked under the moniker  Gold Ulrick , orchestrated its own demise by utilizing information warfare techniques....

The cyber world never hits pause, and staying alert matters more than ever. Every week brings new tricks, smarter attacks, and fresh lessons from the field. This recap cuts through the noise to share what really matters—key trends, warning signs, and stories shaping today's security landscape. Whether you're defending systems or just keeping up, these highlights help you spot what's coming before it lands on your screen. ⚡ Threat of the Week Oracle 0-Day Under Attack — Threat actors with ties to the Cl0p ransomware group have exploited a zero-day flaw in E-Business Suite to facilitate data theft attacks. The vulnerability, tracked as CVE-2025-61882 (CVSS score: 9.8), concerns an unspecified bug that could allow an unauthenticated attacker with network access via HTTP to compromise and take control of the Oracle Concurrent Processing component. In a post shared on LinkedIn, Charles Carmakal, CTO of Mandiant at Google Cloud, said "Cl0p exploited multiple vulnerabilities in Ora...