{"id":47106,"date":"2022-06-13T17:30:09","date_gmt":"2022-06-13T17:30:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.threatshub.org\/blog\/helloxd-ransomware-bulked-up-with-better-encryption-nastier-payload\/"},"modified":"2022-06-13T17:30:09","modified_gmt":"2022-06-13T17:30:09","slug":"helloxd-ransomware-bulked-up-with-better-encryption-nastier-payload","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.threatshub.org\/blog\/helloxd-ransomware-bulked-up-with-better-encryption-nastier-payload\/","title":{"rendered":"HelloXD ransomware bulked up with better encryption, nastier payload"},"content":{"rendered":"

Windows and Linux systems are coming under attack by new variants of the HelloXD ransomware that includes stronger encryption, improved obfuscation and an additional payload that enables threat groups to modify compromised systems, exfiltrate files and execute commands.<\/p>\n

The new capabilities make the ransomware, first detected in November 2021 – and the developer behind it even more dangerous – according to researchers with Palo Alto Networks’ Unit 42 threat intelligence group. Unit 42 said the HelloXD ransomware family is in its initial stages but it’s working to track down the author.<\/p>\n

“While the ransomware functionality is nothing new, during our research, following the lines, we found out the ransomware is most likely developed by a threat actor named x4k,” the researchers wrote in a blog post<\/a>.<\/p>\n