Summary FunkSec is a new ransomware group that came into the spotlight after attacking many sectors around the world. The group runs a data leak site on Tor. Funksec employees conduct double extortion attacks, which means hackers encrypt and exfiltrate data from the victim to extort them for paying ransom to the attackers.

In January, Netskope Threat Labs observed a new malware campaign using fake CAPTCHAs to deliver Lumma Stealer. Lumma is a malware that works in the malware-as-a-service (MaaS) model and has existed since at least 2022. The campaign is global, with Netskope Threat Labs tracking victims targeted in Argentina, Colombia, the United States, the Philippines, and other countries around the world.

Researchers at Malwarebytes are tracking a major malvertising campaign that’s abusing Google Ads to target individuals and businesses interested in advertising. The threat actors are using compromised Google Ads accounts to run ads that impersonate Google, leading victims to a fake Google login page designed to steal their credentials.

FunkSec ransomware threatens victims globally, malvertising scam targets Google Ads users, and threat actors use fake software and installers to push malware.

The process of crafting new malware detection features is usually time-consuming and requires extensive domain knowledge outside the expertise of many machine learning practitioners. These factors make it especially difficult to keep up with a constantly evolving threat landscape. To mitigate these challenges, the CrowdStrike Data Science team explored the use of deep learning to automatically generate features for novel malware families.

We are excited to announce the integration of the CelesTLSH Malware Scanner into the LimaCharlie ecosystem. Developed by Magonia Research, CelesTLSH enhances your security operations by scanning files collected via the BinLib extension. It identifies known malware and threat actor tools through advanced fuzzy hashing techniques.

As we step into 2025, the high-impact, financially motivated ransomware landscape continues to evolve, shaped by a combination of law enforcement actions, shifting affiliate dynamics, advancements in defensive approaches, and broader economic and geopolitical influences. While 2024 also saw the continued use of ransomware for non-financial gain purposes, such as drawing attention away from other activities – financial motives remained at the forefront of the overall ransomware landscape.

Medusa is a ransomware-as-a-service (RaaS) platform that first came to prominence in 2023. The ransomware impacts organisations running Windows, predominantly exploiting vulnerable and unpatched systems and hijacking accounts through initial access brokers.

In the context of ongoing cyber risk assessment , ransomware is one of the most commercial and destructive forms of cybercrime. Amidst the ocean of crime groups within cyberspace, the Cl0p ransomware syndicate is one of the more refined and persistent threats. This group of cyber-thieves has made notorious headlines with aggressive forms of extortion and campaigns.