Security | Threat Detection | Cyberattacks | DevSecOps | Compliance

With the continuing rise of ransomware, malware defenses are more critical than ever before with regard to securing the enterprise. Anti-Malware technologies have become an afterthought in many organizations, a technology that they’ve always had, always used, and never really thought about. This control serves as a reminder that this technology is as critical as it ever was and lays out the minimum requirements for ensuring your malware defenses are up to the task.

Every day, threat actors devise new plans for breaking into secure systems. The steps they take, from researching a target to carrying out the attack, are known as the cyber kill chain. Traditionally, that kill chain has targeted devices and networks that lie completely within your organization’s control. For better or worse, mobile and cloud-based work have upended that dynamic.

Hellcat ransomware emerged in early November 2024 and quickly became a notable threat in the cybersecurity landscape. The group first gained attention on November 6, 2024, when it claimed responsibility for a cyberattack against Schneider Electric. Known for its aggressive tactics and unique ransom demands, Hellcat is already making its mark in the world of ransomware.

A year ago, Bitsight TRACE published a blog post on Socks55Systemz,a proxy malware with minimal mentions in the threat intelligence community at the time. In that post, we correlated a Telegram user to the botnet operation and estimated its size at around 10,000 compromised systems. After a year-long investigation, we are shedding new light on these conclusions.