Acronis Threat Research Unit

The Acronis Cyberthreats Update covers current cyberthreat activity and trends, as observed by Acronis analysts and sensors. Figures presented here were gathered in November of this year and reflect threats that we detected as well as news stories from the public domain. This report represents a global outlook and is based on more than one million unique endpoints distributed around the world.

This article is the first in the ransomware diaries series. We will provide an in-depth look at some active ransomware families, such as Mallox or encryptors from the Epsilon Gang, revealing the unique picture they occasionally paint, along with commonalities they maintain along the way. Every family will represent a different piece of the current ransomware landscape to showcase how diversified it has become over the years.

AV-Test unveiled their Advanced Threat Protection test results for 10 real-life scenarios they ran in July and August 2023 in Windows 10 Professional. Once again, Acronis Cyber Protect Cloud with Advanced Security received the best possible score, successfully detecting and blocking all 10 attacks in their early stages.

Acronis Cyber Protect is a long-time participant in the AV-Test independent evaluation of security products for Apple’s macOS. It is critical that a cybersecurity product is consistent with good results, as new threats emerge. We are proud to report that Cyber Protect has achieved a perfect 6 out of 6 score in each and every test performed in the last year.

In an evaluation performed in May–June by well-known German testing laboratory AV-Test, Acronis Cyber Protect Cloud with Advanced Security achieved a perfect score. Acronis Cyber Protect Cloud blocked 10 out of 10 advanced threats crafted by laboratory experts to test the ability of security products to manage with new and unknown threats.

Acronis Cyber Protect Cloud with Advanced Security has once again been evaluated by the renowned independent German testing laboratory AV-TEST. Just as in previous evaluations, the solution received a perfect score of 18/18 points. These consistently perfect results, despite an ever-evolving threat landscape, are demonstrative proof that Acronis Cyber Protect Cloud is well-equipped to protect macOS users.

AV-TEST, the renowned independent evaluator of antivirus and security solutions, has recognized Acronis Cyber Protect for its flawless results in protecting against the latest attack techniques. The organization’s latest Advanced Threat Protection test took place in March–April. In this evaluation, AV-TEST specialists were testing resilience against a particular attack technique: the "Inline Execute Assembly."

Researchers have reported that the 8Base ransomware, which operated covertly for over a year, exhibited a significant increase in activity in May and June 2023. Employing encryption and "name-and-shame" tactics, 8Base targets victims across diverse industries. It has been linked to 67 attacks, primarily affecting businesses in the U.S. and Brazil.

Researchers have discovered a Trojanized Super Mario Bros game installer that delivers multiple forms of malware, including an XMR miner, SupremeBot mining client and Umbral Stealer.

Siemens Energy, a Munich-based energy technology company with a revenue of €32 billion, has confirmed that their data was stolen in the recent Clop ransomware data-theft attacks, which exploited a zero-day vulnerability in the MOVEit Transfer platform.

Attackers have stolen sensitive personal information from the MOVEit Transfer server of the New York City Department of Education (NYC DOE), affecting approximately 45,000 students.

A cyberattack on Suncor Energy, a major Canadian energy company, impacted payment operations at Petro-Canada gas stations across Canada. Customers at the affected stations were unable to use credit card rewards points to complete their purchases.