Cyber Security
Embargo Ransomware Group Targets Businesses with Advanced Tactics

ESET researchers have discovered new tooling leading to the deployment of Embargo ransomware. Embargo is a relatively new group in the ransomware scene, first observed by ESET in June 2024. The new toolkit consists of a loader and an endpoint detection and response killer (EDR), which ESET has named MDeployer and MS4Killer, respectively. MS4Killer is particularly noteworthy as it is custom-compiled for each victim’s environment, targeting only selected security solutions. The malware abuses Safe Mode and a vulnerable driver to disable the security products on the victim’s machine. Both tools are written in Rust, the Embargo group’s language of choice for developing its ransomware.
Based on its modus operandi, Embargo seems to be a well-resourced group. It sets up its infrastructure to communicate with victims. Moreover, the group pressures victims into paying by using double extortion: the operators exfiltrate victims’ sensitive data and threaten to publish it on a leak site, in addition to encrypting it. In an interview with an alleged group member, an Embargo representative mentioned a basic payout scheme for affiliates, suggesting that the group is providing RaaS (ransomware as a service). “Given the group’s sophistication, the existence of a typical leak site, and the group’s claims, we assume that Embargo indeed operates as a RaaS provider,” says ESET researcher Jan Holman, who analyzed the threat along with fellow researcher Tomáš Zvara.
Differences in deployed versions, bugs, and leftover artefacts suggest these tools are under active development. Embargo is still in the process of building its brand and establishing itself as a prominent ransomware operator. Developing custom loaders and EDR removal tools is a common tactic used by multiple ransomware groups. Besides the fact that MDeployer and MS4Killer were always observed deployed together, there are further connections between them. The strong ties between the tools suggest that both are developed by the same threat actor, and the active development of the toolkit suggests that the threat actor is proficient in Rust.
With MDeployer, the Embargo threat actor abuses Safe Mode to disable security solutions. MS4Killer is a typical defence evasion tool that terminates security product processes using the technique known as Bring Your Own Vulnerable Driver (BYOVD). In this technique, the threat actor abuses signed, vulnerable kernel drivers to gain kernel-level code execution. Ransomware affiliates often incorporate BYOVD tooling in their compromise chain to tamper with security solutions protecting the infrastructure being attacked. After disabling the security software, affiliates can run the ransomware payload without worrying whether their payload gets detected.
The main purpose of the Embargo toolkit is to secure the successful deployment of the ransomware payload by disabling the security solution in the victim’s infrastructure. Embargo puts a lot of effort into that, replicating the same functionality at different stages of the attack. “We have also observed the attackers’ ability to adjust their tools on the fly, during an active intrusion, for a particular security solution,” adds ESET researcher Tomáš Zvara.
Cloud
SentinelOne Simplifies Secure Cloud Migrations on AWS

SentinelOne today announced its participation in the Amazon Web Services (AWS) Independent Software Vendor (ISV) Workload Migration Program. This initiative supports AWS Partner Network (APN) members with SaaS offerings on AWS to accelerate and streamline workload migrations.
Through the program, SentinelOne will provide AWS customers with accelerated, secure cloud migration support, leveraging modern AI-powered CNAPP capabilities to ensure rapid and protected transitions. With access to AWS funding, technical resources, and go-to-market support, SentinelOne will help organizations reduce migration timelines and costs while maintaining robust security.
SentinelOne’s Singularity Cloud Security delivers real-time visibility and protection throughout the migration journey—whether from on-premises or another cloud—enabling a secure, seamless transition to AWS.
“Through our participation in the AWS ISV Workload Migration Program, SentinelOne is helping customers accelerate secure cloud migrations with end-to-end protection and visibility,” said Ric Smith, President of Product, Technology, and Operations at SentinelOne. “Whether moving from on-prem or another cloud to AWS, organizations can count on us to deliver the security they need throughout their journey—realizing the performance, speed, agility, and cost benefits of the cloud.”
Singularity Cloud Security combines agentless and agent-based protection for deep visibility, continuous posture management, and real-time threat detection across hybrid and multi-cloud environments. By collaborating with AWS and ecosystem partners, SentinelOne ensures seamless integration into migration projects, helping customers move faster, reduce risk, and scale confidently in the cloud.
Availability: SentinelOne’s solutions are available globally.
Cyber Security
Beyond Blocklists: How Behavioural Intent Analysis Can Safeguard Middle East Businesses from Rising AI-Driven Bot Threats

The Middle East is facing an unprecedented surge in AI-driven bot attacks, with malicious automation now outpacing traditional defenses. Mohammad Ismail, Vice President for EMEA at Cequence Security, warns that legacy tools like IP blocklists and rate limiting are no match for today’s sophisticated threats (more…)
Cyber Security
Sophos Boosts Firewall with New Protection and Incident Response Features

Sophos has announced a significant update to its Sophos Firewall software, introducing enhanced protection and incident response capabilities. This update notably includes Sophos NDR Essential, a new feature now available free of charge to all customers holding an XStream Protection license for Sophos Firewall.
This integration empowers Sophos Firewall with two dedicated artificial intelligence (AI) engines specifically designed to detect both malware communications and those utilizing algorithmically generated domain names. This advanced functionality, derived from the Sophos Network Detection and Response (NDR) probe, aims to identify sophisticated malware communications even if they are previously unknown or not yet indexed. It serves as a powerful complement to the Active Threat Response capabilities already embedded within Sophos firewalls.

Chris McCormack, Senior Product Marketing Manager at Sophos
Addressing the technical demands of such advanced detection, Chris McCormack, Senior Product Marketing Manager at Sophos, explained the strategic approach, “NDR traffic analysis requires substantial processing power. That’s why we’ve adopted a new approach by deploying an NDR solution in Sophos Cloud to offload the heaviest tasks from the firewall.” This cloud-centric design ensures optimal performance without burdening the firewall’s on-device resources.
Beyond network detection, the update also brings significant improvements to connectivity and user authentication. Sophos Connect now integrates EntraID for Single Sign-On (SSO). This new feature for the VPN client, bundled with Sophos Firewall, is set to enhance both the security and user experience for SSL and IPsec VPN connections. The integration with EntraID (Azure AD) enables users to authenticate and leverage multi-factor authentication for both Sophos Connect and access to the user portal hosted by the firewall, streamlining secure access.
Further VPN-related enhancements include:
- Improved user interface and usability: Connection types have been renamed for greater clarity, with “site-to-site” now referred to as “policy-based” and tunnel interfaces as “route-based,” making configurations more intuitive.
- Dynamic validation of the IP address pool: For VPN connections (SSL VPN, IPsec, L2TP, and PPTP), the system now dynamically validates the allocated IP address pool, helping to better resolve potential IP address conflicts.
- Strict profile enforcement: IPsec profiles now exclude default values to ensure algorithm synchronization, effectively eliminating potential fragmentation of session negotiation packets that could otherwise prevent site-to-site VPN tunnels from being established.
- Route-based VPN and SD-RED scalability: The system has been optimized to support up to 3,000 simultaneously established tunnels. Specifically, Sophos Firewall solutions can now manage up to 1,000 SD-RED site-to-site tunnels and connect up to 650 concurrent SD-RED devices.
Additional management improvements enhance administrative flexibility and search capabilities:
- More flexible DHCP Prefix Delegation (IPv6 DHCP-PD): The system now supports a broader range of prefixes, from /48 to /64, improving compatibility with various internet service providers.
- Router Advertisement (RA) and DHCPv6 server: These features are now enabled by default, simplifying IPv6 network setup.
- Resizable table columns: The web admin interface continues its adaptation for ultra-wide screens, with many configuration pages now allowing users to resize columns as needed for improved usability.
- Enhanced object search functionality: The search field within the SD-WAN routing configuration screen now supports more granular criteria, including route name, ID, objects, and object values like IP addresses and domains. Similarly, local ACL rules now also support object name and value searches, extending to content-based searches for more precise results.
- Default configuration changes: To streamline initial setups, default firewall rules and rule groups previously created during new firewall deployments have been removed. The initial configuration now only includes the default network rule and MTA rules. Furthermore, the default firewall rule group and the default gateway probe for custom gateways are now set to “None” by default.
Sophos continues its commitment to cybersecurity through a “Secure by Design” approach, enhancing the intrinsic security of its firewalls. This methodology involves the containerization of specific features and rigorous integrity checks on critical operating system files using mathematical checksums. Any detected checksum mismatch triggers a potential compromise alert, enabling monitoring teams to proactively identify possible security incidents affecting the firewall OS integrity. This proactive detection allows incident response and development teams to react swiftly to critical security events.
This update is now available for manual download and deployment by customers with any Sophos Firewall equipped with a valid license.
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