Ransomware Update – 2025-09-13

[Content by Gemini 2.5]

Latest Ransomware News and New File Extensions

  • HybridPetya:

    • New Encrypted File Extension: Not specified in the articles.
    • Attack Methods: Exploits vulnerability CVE-2024-7344 to bypass the UEFI Secure Boot mechanism, allowing it to install a malicious application on the EFI System Partition. It resembles the behavior of the infamous Petya/NotPetya malware.
    • Targets: Systems using UEFI Secure Boot.
    • Decryption Status: No known decryption method is available.
    • Source: Article titled “New HybridPetya Ransomware Bypasses UEFI Secure Boot With CVE-2024-7344 Exploit”.

  • ‘Gentlemen’ Ransomware:

    • New Encrypted File Extension: Not specified in the articles.
    • Attack Methods: Employs a “Bring Your Own Vulnerable Driver” (BYOVD) technique by abusing the legitimate ThrottleStop.sys driver to terminate antivirus and Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR) systems.
    • Targets: Organizations and individuals relying on endpoint security solutions.
    • Decryption Status: No known decryption method is available.
    • Source: Article titled “‘Gentlemen’ Ransomware Abuses Vulnerable Driver to Kill Security Gear”.

  • INC Ransomware:

    • New Encrypted File Extension: Not specified in the articles.
    • Attack Methods: Data breach and extortion. The group claimed responsibility for an attack, though specific infiltration methods were not detailed in the report.
    • Targets: Recently claimed Panama’s Ministry of Economy and Finance (MEF) as a victim.
    • Decryption Status: The report focuses on the breach disclosure; no decryption information was provided.
    • Source: Article titled “Panama Ministry of Economy discloses breach claimed by INC ransomware”.

  • Other Active Ransomware Groups:

    • Summary: Various ransomware operations including Akira, Qilin, Incransom, Safepay, Datacarry, and Blacknevas continue to be highly active, regularly publishing new victims on their data leak sites.
    • Targets: A wide range of global entities across different sectors, including consulting firms, recycling services, manufacturing companies, and municipal governments.

Observations and Further Recommendations

  • Ransomware is advancing with sophisticated, low-level attack vectors, such as HybridPetya’s firmware-level bypass of UEFI Secure Boot, which makes detection and prevention more challenging.
  • The use of “Bring Your Own Vulnerable Driver” (BYOVD) attacks, seen with ‘Gentlemen’ ransomware, is a growing trend for disabling security tools before encryption, effectively blinding an organization’s defenses.
  • Data extortion remains a core strategy for numerous ransomware groups, emphasizing the importance of not only preventing encryption but also protecting sensitive data from exfiltration.
  • It is recommended that organizations prioritize patching firmware vulnerabilities, implement strict application and driver controls, and maintain secure, offline backups to mitigate the impact of these advanced threats.

News Details

  • New HybridPetya Ransomware Bypasses UEFI Secure Boot With CVE-2024-7344 Exploit: Cybersecurity researchers have discovered a new ransomware strain dubbed HybridPetya that resembles the notorious Petya/NotPetya malware, while also incorporating the ability to bypass the Secure Boot mechanism in Unified Extensible Firmware Interface (UEFI) systems using a now-patched vulnerability disclosed earlier this year.

  • ‘Gentlemen’ Ransomware Abuses Vulnerable Driver to Kill Security Gear: By weaponizing the ThrottleStop.sys driver, attackers are disrupting antivirus and endpoint detection and response (EDR) systems.

  • Panama Ministry of Economy discloses breach claimed by INC ransomware: Panama’s Ministry of Economy and Finance (MEF) has disclosed that one of its computers may have been compromised in a cyberattack.

  • FBI Warns of UNC6040 and UNC6395 Targeting Salesforce Platforms in Data Theft Attacks: The U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has issued a flash alert to release indicators of compromise (IoCs) associated with two cybercriminal groups tracked as UNC6040 and UNC6395 for a string of data theft and extortion attacks. “Both groups have recently been observed targeting organizations’ Salesforce platforms via different initial access mechanisms,” the FBI said.

  • Samsung Fixes Critical Zero-Day CVE-2025-21043 Exploited in Android Attacks: Samsung has released its monthly security updates for Android, including a fix for a security vulnerability that it said has been exploited in zero-day attacks. The vulnerability, CVE-2025-21043 (CVSS score: 8.8), concerns an out-of-bounds write that could result in arbitrary code execution.

  • Apple Warns French Users of Fourth Spyware Campaign in 2025, CERT-FR Confirms: Apple has notified users in France of a spyware campaign targeting their devices, according to the Computer Emergency Response Team of France (CERT-FR). The agency said the alerts were sent out on September 3, 2025, making it the fourth time this year that Apple has notified citizens in the county that at least one of the devices linked to their iCloud accounts may have been compromised.

  • Critical CVE-2025-5086 in DELMIA Apriso Actively Exploited, CISA Issues Warning: The U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) on Thursday added a critical security flaw impacting Dassault Systèmes DELMIA Apriso Manufacturing Operations Management (MOM) software to its Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog, based on evidence of active exploitation.