19-Year-Old Admits to PowerSchool Data Breach Extortion

A 19-year-old college student faces charges after pleading guilty to cyber extortion targeting PowerSchool, exposing data of 60…...

Key Takeaways from the Take Command Summit 2025: Inside the Mind of an Attacker

In one of the most anticipated sessions of Take Command 2025, Raj Samani, Chief Scientist at Rapid7, sat down with Trent Teyema, former FBI Special Agent and President of CSG Strategies, for a candid conversation on how threat actors are evolving and what defenders must do to keep up. Moderated b...

Key Takeaways from the Take Command Summit 2025: Inside the Mind of an Attacker

In one of the most anticipated sessions of Take Command 2025, Raj Samani, Chief Scientist at Rapid7, sat down with Trent Teyema, former FBI Special Agent and President of CSG Strategies, for a candid conversation on how threat actors are evolving and what defenders must do to keep up. Moderated b...

Coinbase Agents Bribed, Data of ~1% Users Leaked; $20M Extortion Attempt Fails

Cryptocurrency exchange Coinbase has disclosed that unknown cyber actors broke into its systems and stole account data for a small subset of its customers. "Criminals targeted our customer support agents overseas," the company said in a statement. "They used cash offers to convince a small group ...

PowerSchool Paid Ransom, Now Hackers Target Teachers for More

PowerSchool paid ransom after a major data breach; now hackers are targeting teachers and schools with direct extortion…...

ToyMaker Uses LAGTOY to Sell Access to CACTUS Ransomware Gangs for Double Extortion

Cybersecurity researchers have detailed the activities of an initial access broker IAB dubbed ToyMaker that has been observed handing over access to double extortion ransomware gangs like CACTUS. The IAB has been assessed with medium confidence to be a financially motivated threat actor, scanning...

Introducing ToyMaker, an initial access broker working in cahoots with double extortion gangs

In 2023, Cisco Talos discovered an extensive compromise in a critical infrastructure enterprise consisting of a combination of threat actors. From initial access to double extortion, these actors slowly and steadily compromised a multitude of hosts in the network using a combination of various...

How cyberattackers exploit domain controllers using ransomware

In recent years, human-operated cyberattacks have undergone a dramatic transformation. These attacks, once characterized by sporadic and opportunistic attacks, have evolved into highly sophisticated, targeted campaigns aimed at causing maximum damage to organizations, with the average cost of a...

VanHelsing RaaS Launch: 3 Victims, $5K Entry Fee, Multi-OS, and Double Extortion Tactics

A ransomware-as-a-service RaaS operation called VanHelsing has already claimed three victims since it launched on March 7, 2025, demanding ransoms as high as $500,000. "The RaaS model allows a wide range of participants, from experienced hackers to newcomers, to get involved with a $5,000 deposit...

Fake BianLian Ransomware Letters in Circulation

At a glance: The FBI is warning of a mail-based fraud involving letters sent to businesses in the U.S. These letters resemble online ransomware notes demanding payment via Bitcoin. Rapid7 examined a mail-based ransom demand sent to a customer from a local postcode. There is no evidence that any o...

Fake BianLian Ransomware Letters in Circulation

At a glance: The FBI is warning of a mail-based fraud involving letters sent to businesses in the U.S. These letters resemble online ransomware notes demanding payment via Bitcoin. Rapid7 examined a mail-based ransom demand sent to a customer from a local postcode. There is no evidence that any o...

Scammers Pose as Cl0p Ransomware to Send Fake Extortion Letters

Scammers are sending fake extortion and ransom demands while posing as ransomware gangs, including the notorious Cl0p ransomware.…...

Medusa Ransomware Hits 40+ Victims in 2025, Demands $100K–$15M Ransom

The threat actors behind the Medusa ransomware have claimed nearly 400 victims since it first emerged in January 2023, with the financially motivated attacks witnessing a 42% increase between 2023 and 2024. In the first two months of 2025 alone, the group has claimed over 40 attacks, according to...

FBI Warns of Data Extortion Scam Targeting Corporate Executives

The Federal Bureau of Investigation FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center IC3 has released an alert warning of a scam involving criminal actors masquerading as the “BianLian Group.” The cyber criminals target corporate executives by sending extortion letters threatening to release victims’ sensitiv...

Ransomware Extortion Drops to $813.5M in 2024, Down from $1.25B in 2023

Ransomware attacks netted cybercrime groups a total of $813.5 million in 2024, a decline from $1.25 billion in 2023. The total amount extorted during the first half of 2024 stood at $459.8 million, blockchain intelligence firm Chainalysis said, adding payment activity slumped after July 2024 by...

Canadian Charged in $65M KyberSwap, Indexed Finance DeFi Hack

Canadian man charged in $65 million DeFi hack. Exploited KyberSwap, Indexed Finance smart contracts, laundered funds, and attempted extortion. Faces 20 years...

How Interlock Ransomware Infects Healthcare Organizations

Ransomware attacks have reached an unprecedented scale in the healthcare sector, exposing vulnerabilities that put millions at risk. Recently, UnitedHealth revealed that 190 million Americans had their personal and healthcare data stolen during the Change Healthcare ransomware attack, a figure th...

AI-Driven Ransomware FunkSec Targets 85 Victims Using Double Extortion Tactics

Cybersecurity researchers have shed light on a nascent artificial intelligence AI assisted ransomware family called FunkSec that sprang forth in late 2024, and has claimed more than 85 victims to date. "The group uses double extortion tactics, combining data theft with encryption to pressure...

Dental group lied through teeth about data breach, fined $350,000

A US chain of dental offices known as Westend Dental LLC denied a 2020 ransomware attack and its associated data breach, instead telling their customers that data was lost due to an “accidentally formatted hard drive.” Unfortunately for the organization, the truth was found out. Westend Dental...

Brazilian Hacker Charged for Extorting $3.2M in Bitcoin After Breaching 300,000 Accounts

A Brazilian citizen has been charged in the United States for allegedly threatening to release data stolen by hacking into a company's network in March 2020. Junior Barros De Oliveira , 29, of Curitiba, Brazil has been charged with four counts of extortionate threats involving information obtaine...