April 18, 2024 at 02:18PM
The Akira ransomware has targeted 250+ organizations and amassed $42 million in ransom payments. It gained notoriety in March 2023, deploying a Linux encryptor for VMware ESXi virtual machines. Ransoms ranged from $200,000 to millions. The FBI, CISA, Europol, and NCSC-NL issued guidance to mitigate the attacks’ impact and risk.
Based on the meeting notes, here are the clear takeaways:
– The Akira ransomware group has breached over 250 organizations, earning approximately $42 million in ransom payments.
– Akira emerged in March 2023 and has targeted victims across various industry verticals worldwide.
– The group’s ransomware developers created and deployed a Linux encryptor to target VMware ESXi virtual machines widely used in enterprise organizations by June 2023.
– The ransom demands from Akira range from $200,000 to millions of dollars, depending on the size of the compromised organization.
– The group has impacted a wide range of businesses and critical infrastructure entities in North America, Europe, and Australia since March 2023.
– The FBI, CISA, EC3, and NCSC-NL issued a joint advisory on these ransomware attacks and call for actions to reduce the impact and risks.
– Network defenders are advised to prioritize patching vulnerabilities, enforce multifactor authentication (MFA) with strong passwords, and conduct regular software updates and vulnerability assessments.
– Akira indicators of compromise (IOCs) and information on tactics, techniques, and procedures (TTPs) have been identified and organizations are encouraged to implement the recommendations to reduce the likelihood and impact of ransomware incidents.