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| Thanos influences government agencies in the Middle East |
Researchers say Thanos ransomware, designed to disrupt IT startups, attacked government agencies in the Middle East and North Africa in July.
This is the latest example of a data analytics tool targeting key organizations in the region, and the motive for the attack remains unclear.
According to analysts at Palo Alto Networks, he used the Thanos ransomware attack, a malware that appeared earlier this year and was developed in secret forums.
Thanos has been sold as a service to other interested hackers, which makes it difficult to track attacks and allows users to develop their own custom features.
Usually hackers interested in money don't turn off the device to prevent victims from paying the ransom, but that is exactly what the perpetrators of the July attack tried.
According to Palo Alto Networks, Thanos version contains a destructive component that overwrites the computer's master boot record (MBR) and tells the device how to start up.
It is not clear if the hacker really wanted the $ 20,000 requested in the note on the device or whether the victim paid the ransom.
Alan Lesca, ransomware expert at Recorded Future, said that the MBR cover did not catch our attention in other Thanos attacks, which means it could be a devastating attack similar to a ransomware attack.
Palo Alto Networks researchers did not disclose the victim or speculate about the killer behind the attack, but they said the perpetrator himself may have used a similar type of Thanos to attack the same city in the Middle East in July. Another public organization
"One of the greatest things about Thanos is that it is easy to use," Lesca said. "The simple control panel and its ability to adapt to any type of attack is very popular on secret forums."
The Middle East has long been the scene of data deletion attacks. IBM analysts discovered previously unknown malware in December. They said the malware was developed by Iranian hackers. The symbol was used to attack energy organizations and little-known industry in the East. Data check attacks. Center.