Security | Threat Detection | Cyberattacks | DevSecOps | Compliance

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On September 20th, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) released an advisory highlighting the various indicators of compromise (IOCs) and tactics, techniques, and procedures (TTPs) associated with the Snatch ransomware variant. This variant was identified as recently as June 1, 2023, by the FBI. Detailed information is listed in US-CERT Alert AA23-263A – #StopRansomware: Snatch Ransomware.

The FBI and US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) have issued a joint advisory warning organisations about a ransomware-as-a-service operation called "Snatch." Snatch? As in the movie from twenty odd years ago? I'm not sure I've heard of Snatch before... Maybe you haven't.

The latest MGM Resorts ransomware attack demonstrates why cyber insurance is critical as part of a multi-layered security strategy. In our last blog, we discussed the recent Las Vegas cyber incidents and how no organization is completely safe. The original cyber incident at MGM Resorts occurred on September 10, 2023 — nearly two weeks ago now – and the company and its valued customers are still feeling its effects.

SmokeLoader is a well-known malware family that has been around for more than 10 years. Its main purpose is to download and drop other malware families. However, SmokeLoader's operators also sell plugins that add capabilities to the main module. Those plugins allow an affiliate to collect browser data from infected computers, as well as emails, cookies, passwords, and much more. In this blog post, we'll dissect SmokeLoader's plugins that were received by an infected computer from the botnet "0020".

Save The Children is an organization that specializes in helping children live healthy lives. The non-profit works in multiple countries, helping to provide for children's needs, especially in areas affected by war or tragedy. This organization was recently the target of a ransomware hacker group and suffered huge data losses as a result of that targeting.

For many years, hackers and cybercriminals have used social engineering techniques to gain unauthorized access to confidential information. It is easy to predict that these attacks will continue to advance in sophistication and frequency. Whether they are using AI to create better lures or cyber criminals are just getting more adept at exploiting human nature, the success of these attacks proves the tactics are winning.

Picture this: Your IT infrastructure is breached by a nefarious actor, who then encrypts critical data and holds your organization hostage until a ransom is paid. Far from hypothetical, this is exactly what happened to multi-billion-dollar casino operator MGM Resorts International last week when hit with a ransomware attack – the latest in a string of large-scale, high-profile cyber security incidents.