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Attack of a new ransomware called “BlackCat”



According to global cybersecurity leader Palo Alto Networks, 94% of organizations in Southeast Asia, including the Philippines, have experienced an increase in cybersecurity attacks. There is a new threat in the country and Palo Alto Networks is alerting us to BlackCat, a new ransomware that attacks Philippines-based organizations in the construction and engineering, retail, transportation, service sectors. Commercial services, insurance, machinery, professional services, telecommunications, auto parts and pharmaceutical fields.


Launching mid-November 2021, BlackCat is a family of ransomware encrypted with the Rust programming language that has many native options and is highly customizable, helping malware authors pivot and personalize easier attacks. Ransomware attacks can easily be compiled against different enterprise operating system architectures. 


Operating under a ransomware as a service (RaaS) business model, BlackCat was found to solicit affiliates in well-known cybercrime forums, offering to allow affiliates to exploit ransomware and retain 80 -90% ransom. The rest will go to the author of BlackCat. 


Given the notoriety of BlackCat, Palo Alto Network advises businesses to secure their networks with the following products and services: Cortex XDR and Nxt-Generation Firewall (including cloud-provided security subscriptions level like WildFire).
For more information, visit www.paloaltonetworks.com.