Acme Corporation recently discovered that an Initial Access Broker (IAB) had quietly penetrated its perimeter via an unpatched VPN endpoint. Over a 21-day reconnaissance period, the broker established multiple backdoors and mapped high-value targets, including databases containing customer profiles, payment records and proprietary designs. Detailed network diagrams and access credentials were packaged and sold on dark-web forums for $75,000. Shortly after the sale, a ransomware gang deployed encryption payloads across Acme’s critical file shares and simultaneously exfiltrated terabytes of customer data. Operations ground to a halt as production servers and order-fulfillment systems were locked, leading to a multi-day outage. The gang also published sensitive customer records and forced Acme to engage a third-party negotiator, ultimately paying a ransom to curb further leaks. The incident devastated customer trust and triggered regulatory investigations under data-protection laws. Post-incident analysis revealed that a combination of outdated remote-access software, insufficient network segmentation and a lack of advanced threat hunting enabled the broker’s long-term persistence. Acme has since overhauled its patch management, deployed real-time endpoint monitoring and tightened remote access policies, but the financial and reputational damage is still being calculated.
Source: https://cybersecuritynews.com/vital-role-modern-ransomware-attacks/
"id": "acm521050725",
"linkid": "acme-united-corporation",
"type": "Breach",
"date": "5/2025",
"severity": "85",
"impact": "4",
"explanation": "Attack with significant impact with customers data leaks"