In October 2023, Netskope analyzed a malicious Word document and the malware it contained, dubbed “Menorah.” The malware was attributed to an advanced persistent threat group APT34, and was reported to be distributed via spear-phishing. The malicious Office file uses dispersed and obfuscated VBA code to evade detection. The advanced persistent threat group targets users of outdated versions of Microsoft Office, since it does not attempt to bypass the mark of the web security check.

Akumin is a radiology and oncology clinic based in Florida with multiple locations. Last week, three of their South Florida locations shut down their computer systems to hobble a ransomware cyberattack. The downtime significantly impacted the three clinics, as the doctors could not complete patient assessments. Recent patients in the area should consider protective monitoring services to help mitigate potential outcomes from the attack.

Organizations are increasingly relying on virtualization. As critical infrastructure and business systems continue to be virtualized, threat actors have responded in kind by deploying ransomware impacting hypervisor software.