var TRINITY_TTS_WP_CONFIG={“cleanText”:”North Korea hacker group Lazarus turns to ransomware: report.u23f8An outfit of hackers with links to the North Korean government is on the prowl again, this time reverting to targeting its victims through ransomware. According to a new report, the group has stepped up its game, with the latest strain of malware being an upgrade on previous versions.u23f8While the North Korean government has been linked with several cybercrime outfits, Lazarus remains the most lethal. The group is known for WannaCry, a ransomware that has infected over 300,000 Windows computers worldwide, demanding payment in BTC.u23f8Lazarus is now targeting its victims with new malware, Russian cybersecurity company Kaspersky Lab has revealed. In a new report, the firm attributed a new wave of attacks through a little-known malware strain known as VHD to Lazarus.u23f8VHD crawls all connected disks to encrypt the files while also deleting any folder that contains Windowsu2019 restore point features, the report states.u23f8Kaspersky noted that the malware is unique and u201cdid not fit the usual modus operandi of known big-game hunting groups.u201d The firm also only found a very limited number of VHD malware samples, indicating that it was custom made, and not bought in the dark web.u23f8According to the Kaspersky report, judging from the ransomware attacks it has tracked this year related to VHD, Lazarus is using more finesse in its attacks. The group spread the malware through the MATA framework which is more advanced and able to attack Windows, macOS and Linux operating systems.u23f8Lazarus has in the past targeted financial systems and institutions, making off with hundreds of millions of dollars. The group was allegedly behind the much-publicized hack of Sony Pictures and the $81 million hack of the Bangladesh Bank.u23f8It has also extensively targeted digital currency exchanges. According to a report by Group-IB, itu2019s behind the biggest hack in the industry where it made off with $534 million from Coincheck exchange.u23f8However, its dive into ransomware is a cause for worry, Kasperskyu2019s senior security researcher Ivan Kwiatkowski said, explaining:u23f8u201cWhile it is obvious that the group cannot match the efficiency of other cybercriminal gangs with this hit-and-run approach to targeted ransomware, the fact that it has turned to such types of attacks is worrisome. The global ransomware threat is big enough as it is, and often has significant financial implications for victim organizations up to the point of rendering them bankrupt.u201du23f8″,”headlineText”:”North Korea hacker group Lazarus turns to ransomware: report”,”articleText”:”An outfit of hackers with links to the North Korean government is on the prowl again, this time reverting to targeting its victims through ransomware. According to a new report, the group has stepped up its game, with the latest strain of malware being an upgrade on previous versions.u23f8While the North Korean government has been linked with several cybercrime outfits, Lazarus remains the most lethal. The group is known for WannaCry, a ransomware that has infected over 300,000 Windows computers worldwide, demanding payment in BTC.u23f8Lazarus is now targeting its victims with new malware, Russian cybersecurity company Kaspersky Lab has revealed. In a new report, the firm attributed a new wave of attacks through a little-known malware strain known as VHD to Lazarus.u23f8VHD crawls all connected disks to encrypt the files while also deleting any folder that contains Windowsu2019 restore point features, the report states.u23f8Kaspersky noted that the malware is unique and u201cdid not fit the usual modus operandi of known big-game hunting groups.u201d The firm also only found a very limited number of VHD malware samples, indicating that it was custom made, and not bought in the dark web.u23f8According to the Kaspersky report, judging from the ransomware attacks it has tracked this year related to VHD, Lazarus is using more finesse in its attacks. The group spread the malware through the MATA framework which is more advanced and able to attack Windows, macOS and Linux operating systems.u23f8Lazarus has in the past targeted financial systems and institutions, making off with hundreds of millions of dollars. The group was allegedly behind the much-publicized hack of Sony Pictures and the $81 million hack of the Bangladesh Bank.u23f8It has also extensively targeted digital currency exchanges. According to a report by Group-IB, itu2019s behind the biggest hack in the industry where it made off with $534 million from Coincheck exchange.u23f8However, its dive into ransomware is a cause for worry, Kasperskyu2019s senior security researcher Ivan Kwiatkowski said, explaining:u23f8u201cWhile it is obvious that the group cannot match the efficiency of other cybercriminal gangs with this hit-and-run approach to targeted ransomware, the fact that it has turned to such types of attacks is worrisome. The global ransomware threat is big enough as it is, and often has significant financial implications for victim organizations up to the point of rendering them bankrupt.u201du23f8″,”metadata”:{“author”:”Steve Kaaru”},”pluginVersion”:”5.7.4″}; |
An outfit of hackers with links to the North Korean government is on the prowl again, this time reverting to targeting its victims through ransomware. According to a new report, the group has stepped up its game, with the latest strain of malware being an upgrade on previous versions.
While the North Korean government has been linked with several cybercrime outfits, Lazarus remains the most lethal. The group is known for WannaCry, a ransomware that has infected over 300,000 Windows computers worldwide, demanding payment in BTC.
Lazarus is now targeting its victims with new malware, Russian cybersecurity company Kaspersky Lab has revealed. In a new report, the firm attributed a new wave of attacks through a little-known malware strain known as VHD to Lazarus.
VHD crawls all connected disks to encrypt the files while also deleting any folder that contains Windows’ restore point features, the report states.
Kaspersky noted that the malware is unique and “did not fit the usual modus operandi of known big-game hunting groups.” The firm also only found a very limited number of VHD malware samples, indicating that it was custom made, and not bought in the dark web.
According to the Kaspersky report, judging from the ransomware attacks it has tracked this year related to VHD, Lazarus is using more finesse in its attacks. The group spread the malware through the MATA framework which is more advanced and able to attack Windows, macOS and Linux operating systems.
Lazarus has in the past targeted financial systems and institutions, making off with hundreds of millions of dollars. The group was allegedly behind the much-publicized hack of Sony Pictures and the $81 million hack of the Bangladesh Bank.
It has also extensively targeted digital currency exchanges. According to a report by Group-IB, it’s behind the biggest hack in the industry where it made off with $534 million from Coincheck exchange.
However, its dive into ransomware is a cause for worry, Kaspersky’s senior security researcher Ivan Kwiatkowski said, explaining:
“While it is obvious that the group cannot match the efficiency of other cybercriminal gangs with this hit-and-run approach to targeted ransomware, the fact that it has turned to such types of attacks is worrisome. The global ransomware threat is big enough as it is, and often has significant financial implications for victim organizations up to the point of rendering them bankrupt.”
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