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A new wave of cyberattacks is sweeping across Europe, and this time, the target is one of Poland’s key IT players—M3 Group Sp. z o.o. The company, known for its software development, consulting, and IT support services, has fallen victim to a ransomware attack orchestrated by the notorious threat actor “Nova.” The breach has caused major disruptions to M3 Group’s operations across Poland, impacting clients and critical services that rely on its technology infrastructure.
While details are still unfolding, sources confirm that the attackers infiltrated M3 Group’s internal systems, encrypted essential files, and crippled servers responsible for customer support and software maintenance. The company’s usual channels—helpdesk systems, project servers, and data pipelines—were forced offline as incident response teams scrambled to contain the spread.
The timing of the breach couldn’t be worse. With Poland’s growing tech sector relying on firms like M3 Group for digital transformation initiatives, the attack’s ripple effect is already being felt among clients and partners. Some have reported service delays and communication breakdowns as the company works to restore functionality and evaluate the scope of data loss.
Cybersecurity analysts suspect that the Nova ransomware group has been fine-tuning its operations since early 2025, targeting mid-tier IT firms in Eastern Europe. Unlike large-scale ransomware cartels, Nova specializes in precision attacks—hitting service providers whose operations are deeply intertwined with other businesses. This strategy ensures maximum disruption and ransom leverage.
Adding fuel to the fire, another alarming revelation surfaced in parallel: hackers exploiting a critical Cisco SNMP vulnerability (CVE-2025-20352). This exploit, part of an ongoing campaign dubbed “Operation Zero Disco,” targets outdated Cisco 9400, 9300, and 3750G switches running on legacy Linux environments. The malware used is particularly insidious—it can bypass Access Control Lists (ACLs), disable system logs, and maintain persistence even after reboots.
Security researchers believe these two events may be connected by methodology if not by direct collaboration. Both attacks display advanced persistence mechanisms, strong encryption, and adaptive evasion tactics, hinting at a possible shared toolkit or underground knowledge exchange within hacker ecosystems.
Polish authorities and cybersecurity agencies are now on high alert, urging IT companies to patch vulnerabilities immediately, especially those involving Cisco infrastructure. The European Union Agency for Cybersecurity (ENISA) has also issued a regional alert, warning of increased network-layer threats aimed at service providers and government-linked organizations.
This new chain of attacks underscores a disturbing trend: cybercriminals are no longer chasing only financial data—they’re targeting the digital arteries that keep businesses running. Disabling IT support and consulting networks paralyzes entire sectors, leaving companies unable to maintain even basic operational continuity.
Experts warn that the combination of ransomware payloads and network rootkits like those seen in “Operation Zero Disco” could represent a new hybrid threat model—one that first compromises infrastructure, then monetizes control through extortion or long-term espionage.
As M3 Group works around the clock with forensic specialists and law enforcement, the question remains whether the attackers exfiltrated sensitive client data or simply aimed to cause operational chaos. Either scenario paints a troubling picture for Poland’s digital economy and for Europe’s broader cybersecurity posture.
What Undercode Say:
The M3 Group incident represents a critical inflection point for the European cybersecurity landscape. What makes this case particularly alarming isn’t just the ransomware itself, but the surgical precision with which Nova executed it.
In past years, ransomware gangs followed a familiar playbook: infiltrate, encrypt, demand ransom. But Nova’s operation, paired with the Cisco rootkit deployment seen in “Operation Zero Disco,” signals an evolution from brute-force disruption to strategic network compromise. This isn’t about chaos—it’s about control.
The exploitation of CVE-2025-20352, a vulnerability in Cisco’s SNMP implementation, is telling. It shows that threat actors are revisiting legacy systems—devices many organizations have neglected because they “still work.” Yet those outdated switches are now silent entry points for attackers who understand that security patches are only as effective as their implementation.
If we zoom out, this attack reveals a multi-layered offensive philosophy:
Breach through neglected infrastructure.
Persist via stealthy rootkits that outlast reboots.
Deploy ransomware to monetize the chaos.
For a service provider like M3 Group, the implications are enormous. When IT support, software delivery, and consulting pipelines collapse, hundreds of downstream clients are effectively immobilized. That’s not just an attack on one company—it’s a hit on an entire ecosystem.
From a geopolitical lens, this event also underscores how Eastern Europe remains a testing ground for cyber-operations. Threat actors often target Polish, Czech, and Baltic firms to refine their tools before expanding into Western Europe or North America. The pattern has persisted since the early days of the REvil and Conti groups, and Nova appears to be continuing that tradition.
What’s more, “Operation Zero Disco” demonstrates a chilling development: the fusion of network-layer persistence with application-layer extortion. Once root access is secured, the attackers can disable logs, spoof network telemetry, and mask their movements—turning even routine network audits into blind exercises.
For M3 Group, recovery won’t just be about decrypting files or restoring backups. It’s about rebuilding trust. Clients will ask hard questions: Were my credentials compromised? Were project repositories accessed? Was sensitive intellectual property exfiltrated?
Moving forward, European IT firms need to rethink their defense strategy. Cyber resilience now demands more than just firewalls and endpoint protection—it requires real-time threat intelligence, zero-trust segmentation, and aggressive patch management across all legacy infrastructure.
Finally, the M3 Group case should serve as a wake-up call for policymakers. Europe’s small and mid-sized IT companies form the backbone of its digital economy, yet they often lack the funding and expertise for round-the-clock security operations. Without systemic support—grants, shared intelligence networks, and cross-border cyber task forces—the next Nova will find even more fertile ground.
Fact Checker Results:
✅ M3 Group Sp. z o.o. confirmed a ransomware attack affecting core operations.
✅ Cisco SNMP flaw (CVE-2025-20352) has been publicly documented and exploited in “Operation Zero Disco.”
❌ No verified link yet between the Nova ransomware group and the Cisco exploit campaign.
Prediction: 🔮
In the coming months, expect copycat campaigns targeting similar IT service providers across Eastern and Central Europe. As Nova’s tactics gain traction, attackers will focus on supply chain infiltration—compromising one IT vendor to reach dozens of dependent clients. Unless organizations aggressively harden legacy infrastructure and enforce zero-trust models, 2026 could become the year of persistent ransomware.
🕵️📝✔️Let’s dive deep and fact‑check.
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