Ransomware groups like Black Basta and FunkSec are increasingly using AI to enhance their extortion tactics, resulting in significant financial losses, such as $724 million stolen using TrickBot malware. The report highlights the growing prevalence of extortion methods, including DDoS attacks, and offers insights into regional trends and mitigation strategies.

PowerSchool has reported that the hacker behind a December cyberattack is now extorting individual school districts, threatening to release stolen student and teacher data unless a ransom is paid. Despite previously paying a ransom to prevent such an incident, PowerSchool acknowledges that the threat actor has not kept their promise to delete the data, leading to renewed extortion attempts against affected schools.

A 19-year-old college student, Matthew D. Lane, pleaded guilty to charges related to a cyberattack on PowerSchool that extorted millions by threatening to leak sensitive personal data of millions of students and teachers. The attack involved breaching a telecommunications company to access and steal confidential information before demanding a ransom from PowerSchool and subsequently targeting individual school districts for further extortion.

Clop ransomware group is targeting Oracle customers with extortion emails, demanding payments in exchange for not releasing stolen data. These emails are part of a broader trend of ransomware attacks aimed at various organizations, highlighting the ongoing threat of cyber extortion in the corporate sector.

Red Hat is facing extortion from the ShinyHunters gang after a data breach involving nearly 570GB of sensitive information, including Customer Engagement Reports. The threat actors have leaked samples and set a deadline for ransom negotiations, while also collaborating with other hacking groups to enhance their extortion efforts.

A 45-year-old individual has been arrested in Moldova for alleged involvement in DoppelPaymer ransomware attacks, extortion, and money laundering targeting organizations in the Netherlands. This arrest follows a coordinated operation involving multiple law enforcement agencies in February 2023 that identified several members of the ransomware group.

Google has confirmed that a data breach involving Salesforce's CRM system has occurred, putting customer data at risk. The breach has led to extortion threats against Salesforce, raising concerns about the security of cloud-based services.

Ransomware is evolving with the integration of GenAI and LLMs, leading to more sophisticated attacks such as AI-driven phishing and quadruple extortion. Experts discuss how groups like CL0P and FunkSec utilize AI to enhance their operations and pressure victims, while emphasizing the need for defenders to implement AI-aware security measures across various platforms. Strategies for securing identities and leveraging API visibility against emerging threats are also highlighted.

Salesforce has refused to pay a ransom demanded by a crime syndicate claiming to have stolen nearly 1 billion records from its customers. The group, known as Scattered LAPSUS$ Hunters, has threatened to leak the data unless Salesforce negotiates a ransom, citing numerous high-profile clients among the victims. Despite the situation's severity, Salesforce has stated it will not comply with the extortion demand.