New Python-based Ransomware Targeting JupyterLab Web Notebooks

Summary:

Researchers have disclosed what they say is the first-ever Python-based ransomware strain specifically designed to target exposed Jupyter notebooks, a web-based interactive computing platform that allows editing and running programs via a browser. (Source: Hacker News)

Additional Discussion:

Aqua Security characterized the attack as "simple and straightforward," unlike other traditional ransomware-as-a-service (RaaS) schemes, adding that no ransom note was presented on the system, raising the possibility that the threat actor may have been experimenting with the modus operandi, or that the honeypot timed out before it could be completed.

The identity of the attacker remains unclear, although evidence unearthed during the incident analysis points to an actor of Russian origin, citing similarities with previous cryptomining attacks aimed at Jupyter notebooks.