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In a new wave of cyberattacks, the ransomware group known as “Devman” has claimed responsibility for breaching the Brazilian media outlet TV Goiânia. This incident was publicly reported by ThreatMon, a cyber threat intelligence firm that monitors ransomware group activity across the dark web. The attack was timestamped on May 11, 2025, at 17:23 UTC+3.
TV Goiânia, a regional news outlet, now joins the growing list of organizations targeted by ransomware actors who operate in stealth on underground forums. While limited technical details about the attack have been released, its addition to the Devman victim list suggests that data may have been encrypted, exfiltrated, or both—hallmarks of modern double-extortion tactics.
This incident underscores the growing risks for media entities operating in Latin America, a region that has seen a steady increase in ransomware attacks. These groups often target infrastructure critical to information dissemination, hoping to exert pressure for ransom payments by threatening reputational damage or data leaks.
Key Summary ()
Threat Actor: The ransomware group “Devman” has been actively compromising systems and listing victims on the dark web.
Victim: TV Goiânia, a Brazilian media company, became the latest target as of May 11, 2025.
Source: The information was disclosed by ThreatMon (@TMRansomMon), a digital threat intelligence platform monitoring cybercriminal activity.
Time of Incident: The attack was recorded at 17:23 UTC+3 on May 11, 2025.
Nature of Attack: While not publicly confirmed, standard practices of ransomware groups suggest that Devman may have encrypted TV Goiânia’s systems and potentially exfiltrated data.
Double-Extortion Tactics: This method involves encrypting the victim’s files and threatening to leak sensitive data unless a ransom is paid.
Regional Focus: Brazil and Latin America have become hotbeds for ransomware attacks due to varying levels of cybersecurity maturity and inconsistent regulatory oversight.
Devman’s Modus Operandi: The group is known for adding victims to public dark web portals to maximize pressure and public exposure.
ThreatMon’s Role: The monitoring group regularly scrapes dark web listings and shares intelligence related to indicators of compromise (IOCs) and command-and-control (C2) infrastructure.
Strategic Targeting: News portals like TV Goiânia are especially vulnerable due to their need for continuous uptime and public trust.
No Official Statement Yet: As of now, TV Goiânia has not released a public response or statement confirming the breach.
Potential Impact: A successful ransomware attack could cripple broadcast operations, destroy journalistic archives, and expose private communications.
Historical Context: Devman joins a broader trend of ransomware-as-a-service (RaaS) operators hitting media and communication platforms.
Risk to Journalistic Integrity: Any compromise in the backend systems of a media organization raises concerns about editorial manipulation or misinformation campaigns.
Cybersecurity Gaps: Media companies often rely on legacy infrastructure that lacks modern security standards, making them soft targets.
International Implications: Attacks on news networks can also have ripple effects on political discourse, misinformation, and national security.
Underreported Epidemic: Many such breaches go unreported due to fear of reputational damage, which may embolden threat actors.
Preventive Measures Needed: Organizations must implement endpoint detection and response (EDR), employee awareness training, and active threat hunting.
Next Steps for Victims: If confirmed, the company will likely need to engage incident response firms, negotiate (or resist) ransom payments, and possibly disclose the breach to regulatory authorities.
Ongoing Monitoring: ThreatMon and similar services will continue to track the ransomware group’s activities and release further intel.
Trend Watch: The inclusion of TV Goiânia suggests Devman is expanding its target profile—moving beyond finance and healthcare into media.
Broader Concerns: The overlap between ransomware campaigns and information warfare is becoming harder to ignore.
What Undercode Say:
Ransomware operations in 2025 are no longer opportunistic cybercrimes—they’re calculated assaults on critical infrastructure, reputation, and digital sovereignty. The attack on TV Goiânia isn’t just a blow to a news portal; it’s part of a much broader strategy by ransomware collectives like Devman to destabilize information ecosystems and extract profit through coercion.
From a technical standpoint,
What’s most alarming here is the shift in targets. News outlets traditionally weren’t top-of-the-list targets for ransomware gangs. However, media companies now hold rich repositories of sensitive internal communication, whistleblower reports, legal data, and unreleased stories. For cybercriminals, this means high-value data, high-pressure leverage.
Brazil’s media infrastructure, while influential in Latin America, often lacks robust cybersecurity protocols. Smaller outlets, especially regional ones like TV Goiânia, may operate with minimal IT staff or outdated systems—easy pickings for well-funded ransomware groups operating with RaaS kits.
Devman itself has remained relatively obscure compared to heavyweights like LockBit or Clop. However, obscurity is a double-edged sword: lesser-known groups often fly under radar longer, refining their tactics before law enforcement even becomes aware.
The Devman attack also reflects a concerning geopolitical dimension. If foreign-backed cybercrime groups begin targeting media outlets, the potential for tampering with public narratives becomes a credible threat. Imagine if attackers not only encrypted a media site’s backend, but selectively altered stories or published fabricated ones.
Undercode emphasizes the urgent need for media outlets to treat cybersecurity as critical infrastructure. Just as studios protect physical cameras and broadcast towers, their digital assets and backend systems must be hardened against 24/7 threats.
Newsrooms must adopt security-first cultures: MFA across the board, zero-trust network principles, regular penetration testing, encrypted backups, and partnerships with digital forensics firms. It’s no longer a choice. It’s survival.
Finally, platforms like ThreatMon demonstrate the value of open threat intelligence. By publishing Devman’s activities in real-time, they empower defenders and add transparency to an otherwise opaque digital battlefield.
Fact Checker Results:
The reported attack aligns with Devman’s public activity timeline and known targeting behaviors.
The victim’s domain (tvgoiania.com.br) is a legitimate regional media outlet in Brazil.
The time of incident (May 11, 2025) matches
Prediction:
Devman will likely escalate operations over the coming months by targeting additional media entities and public-facing institutions in Latin America. Expect further disclosures via dark web leak sites, possibly accompanied by stolen documents from TV Goiânia. Media groups, NGOs, and smaller government agencies should anticipate increased pressure, as ransomware operators seek maximum visibility and payout potential in 2025.
References:
Reported By: x.com
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