A US government agency has warned of a threat actor that demands ransom from its victims in exchange for cryptocurrency, promising not to leak their data. On October 4, the US Health Sector Cybersecurity Coordination Center (HC3) published a detailed profile of Trinity ransomware, a new threat targeting sensitive data. Attackers use phishing emails, malicious websites, and software exploits to infect victims’ computers with ransomware.

The ransomware searches for, collects, and encrypts sensitive information on a computer. Victims are asked to pay cryptocurrency in exchange for a decryption key. HC3 noted that Trinity ransomware targeted critical infrastructures such as healthcare providers, with at least seven organizations being victimized.

In 2023, ransomware crypto payments reached $1 billion. According to Chainalysis’ 2024 Crypto Crime Report, high-profile institutions and infrastructures paid ransomware attackers an estimated $1.1 billion in cryptocurrency. The report stated that 538 new ransomware variants were created in 2023 and large companies were targeted.

What do you think about these types of attacks? We are waiting for your comments.