Play Ransomware Group's New Linux Variant Targets ESXi, Shows Ties With Prolific Puma
Trend AI threat hunters discovered the first Linux variant of Play ransomware specifically targeting ESXi environments. The analysis revealed infrastructure connections to Prolific Puma, a threat actor known for providing link-shortening services to cybercriminals. The ESXi variant shares code similarities with the Windows version but includes ESXi-specific routines for VM management and datastore encryption. This discovery demonstrates the continued trend of major ransomware groups developing dedicated Linux/ESXi payloads to maximize impact on enterprise virtualization infrastructure.
Related Research
Agenda Ransomware Deploys Linux Variant on Windows Systems Through Remote Management Tools and BYOVD Techniques
Discovered Agenda ransomware deploying Linux variants on Windows systems via remote management tools and BYOVD techniques for cross-platform evasion.
Agenda Ransomware Group Adds SmokeLoader and NETXLOADER to Their Arsenal
Uncovered Agenda ransomware group adopting SmokeLoader and a new loader named NETXLOADER for improved delivery and evasion.
Agenda Ransomware Exploits MeshAgent and WSL for Cross-Platform Attacks
Thread on Agenda ransomware exploiting MeshAgent and Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL) to deploy Linux payloads on Windows systems, raising the bar for cross-platform sophistication.
Axios NPM Package Compromised: Supply Chain Attack Hits JavaScript HTTP Client with 100M+ Weekly Downloads
Investigated a supply chain attack in which an attacker hijacked the lead Axios npm maintainer's account and published two malicious versions containing a phantom dependency that deployed a cross-platform RAT on macOS, Windows, and Linux while erasing forensic evidence by replacing itself with clean decoy files.