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The Rise of Smarter Ransomware Threats
In recent months, the cyber threat landscape has shifted dramatically. Ransomware-as-a-Service (RaaS) groups are evolving at a dangerous pace, leveraging automation and mass exploitation to devastating effect. No longer relying solely on phishing emails or insider threats, these syndicates are tapping into cutting-edge vulnerabilities and integrating artificial intelligence to speed up attacks and escape detection. The first half of 2025 has revealed how this evolution is enabling lesser-known players like Qilin and RansomHub to climb the ranks rapidly, while long-time giants like Clop show signs of decline. As automation becomes more accessible and vulnerabilities remain unpatched across global networks, defenders are in a high-stakes race to secure systems that they may not even realize are at risk.
The New Face of Ransomware: Automation and Mass Exploitation
Cybercrime intelligence firm ReliaQuest has issued a stark warning: automated reconnaissance and bulk exploitation tactics are powering a new era for ransomware operations. Groups like Qilin and Akira have embraced this method fully. Qilin has exploited high-severity Fortinet flaws (CVE-2024-55591 and CVE-2024-21762), while Akira turned its sights on vulnerabilities in SonicWall (CVE-2024-40766) and Cisco (CVE-2023-20269). These vulnerabilities are not obscure – they target widely used systems and products in enterprise IT infrastructure.
Another major player, Clop, is focusing on managed file transfer software, striking at zero-day vulnerabilities in platforms such as Cleo (CVE-2024-50623) and MoveIT (CVE-2023-34362). Meanwhile, RansomHub, a newer RaaS collective with links to Scattered Spider, is chaining together multiple exploits targeting remote management systems like SimpleHelp and vulnerable components in Apache and Fortinet products. This layered attack method increases success rates and bypasses traditional defenses.
ReliaQuest highlights a disturbing pattern: these attacks often target “unknown, unmanaged, or poorly understood assets”—components in a network that fall through the cracks of visibility and patch management. Because they’re hidden, patching is either delayed or missed entirely, leaving them ripe for exploitation. A prime example is CVE-2024-21762. Despite a fix being issued, researchers found over 150,000 Fortinet devices still exposed more than a month later.
This vulnerability alone helped catapult Qilin to the top of the ransomware charts for Q2 2025. Their rapid rise was fueled by automated attack tools that reduced the window defenders had to respond. Qilin and DragonForce both saw explosive growth in victim numbers—80% and 115% increases respectively—while older RaaS players like Clop began to wane, likely outpaced by newer, more agile competitors.
But there’s another looming threat on the horizon: artificial intelligence. The UK’s National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) has issued warnings that AI will likely make cyber intrusions more effective and harder to defend against. AI can streamline vulnerability detection, automate phishing operations, and quickly adapt to countermeasures. This is expected to shrink the time between a vulnerability’s public disclosure and its exploitation to mere days—if not hours.
Compounding this issue is the increasing role of phishing. KnowBe4 reported a 58% rise in ransomware delivered through phishing between November 2024 and February 2025. While vulnerabilities remain a key access vector, traditional email-based attacks are evolving too, powered by convincing AI-generated lures and social engineering.
What Undercode Say:
Strategic Weaponization of Automation
The use of automation in reconnaissance and exploitation has transformed ransomware from a manual, labor-intensive operation into a streamlined digital business. RaaS operators no longer require elite hackers to launch complex attacks. Automated scripts can scan the internet for vulnerable systems, test thousands of endpoints per minute, and deploy malware in near real-time. This lowers the barrier of entry, allowing even low-skill affiliates to wreak havoc.
Why Old Systems Are the Achilles’ Heel
Legacy systems and shadow IT—those forgotten assets without visibility or regular patching—are now goldmines for attackers. ReliaQuest’s report confirms that neglected systems create the longest exposure windows. The over 150,000 unpatched Fortinet devices show how even large organizations struggle to maintain patch hygiene, especially when devices are geographically dispersed or off-network.
RansomHub and the Rise of “Chained Exploits”
RansomHub’s technique of chaining multiple vulnerabilities together signals an increase in attack sophistication. By exploiting SimpleHelp, Fortinet, and Apache simultaneously, they ensure multiple failure points, complicating both detection and remediation. This layered tactic is a glimpse into what may become the standard RaaS playbook.
Decline of Legacy RaaS Groups
The downturn in Clop’s success could suggest that older groups are being outmaneuvered by agile newcomers. Qilin and DragonForce adapted faster to the current wave of vulnerabilities and appear to be more aggressive in integrating automation and AI-driven tools. The shift highlights the brutal competition within the ransomware economy.
AI’s Disruptive Impact
AI isn’t just another tool—it’s a force multiplier. The NCSC’s prediction that AI will compress the patch-to-exploit timeline is a massive concern. With generative AI, attackers can auto-generate exploit code, craft phishing emails that mimic human writing, and analyze breached data at scale. Security teams, by contrast, are often understaffed and reactive.
Multi-Vector Attacks: The New Normal
While zero-day exploitation grabs headlines, phishing remains a critical threat vector. The reported 58% spike proves that attackers are not choosing between methods—they’re combining them. A phishing email may install an info-stealer that then identifies vulnerable software, launching a ransomware payload in a follow-up phase.
Supply Chain and Operational Tech: Critical Targets
Industrial systems and supply chains are especially vulnerable, as they often operate on custom or outdated technology that’s hard to patch without causing service disruptions. As threat actors sharpen their focus on these targets, national security risks grow alongside commercial ones.
The Speed of Warfare
The digital battlefield now runs in real-time. Gone are the days when defenders had weeks or months to respond to vulnerabilities. With automation and AI, attackers strike within hours of disclosure. Organizations must therefore move toward predictive defense—identifying weaknesses before attackers do.
A Future of Hyperautomation
Looking ahead, ransomware groups may integrate AI-powered botnets, automated lateral movement scripts, and self-updating malware. This “hyperautomation” could render current cybersecurity frameworks obsolete unless they evolve just as quickly.
🔍 Fact Checker Results:
✅ Verified: Qilin and Akira exploited known CVEs in Q2 2025
✅ Verified: Over 150,000 Fortinet systems remained unpatched after disclosure
✅ Verified: AI is expected to shorten the time between vulnerability discovery and exploitation
📊 Prediction:
Expect ransomware operations to become faster, stealthier, and more scalable through AI-enhanced automation. Within the next 12 months, at least one major infrastructure outage will likely be tied to chained exploit ransomware attacks targeting remote management tools. Phishing will continue to surge, often serving as the delivery mechanism for ransomware deployed via automated vulnerability scanning.
References:
Reported By: www.infosecurity-magazine.com
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