Mad Liberator: Cyber Crooks Using Anydesk to Hijack and Ransom Data
Mad Liberator is the new extortion gang in town, using Anydesk to infiltrate organizations, steal data, and demand ransom. Despite being labeled as ransomware, they don’t encrypt data – they just swipe it and threaten to leak it. Think of them as digital kleptomaniacs with…
Hot Take:
Mad Liberator is like that annoying neighbor who borrows your lawn mower, and then demands a ransom to give it back—except they also threaten to tell the whole neighborhood about your gnome collection if you don’t pay up.
Key Points:
- Mad Liberator uses social engineering and Anydesk to steal data and demand ransom.
- They emerged in mid-July and are known for data exfiltration rather than encryption.
- The gang also uses double-extortion tactics: stealing data and then encrypting systems.
- Victims often fall prey due to the legitimate use of Anydesk in IT departments.
- Attackers deploy fake “Microsoft Windows Update” screens to gain and maintain access.
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