"CISA Urges Patching of Microsoft Exchange and Cisco ASA Flaws Exploited in Ransomware Attacks"
The U.S. CISA has warned of Akira ransomware exploiting a now-patched vulnerability in Cisco ASA and FTD software, with evidence suggesting it has been used to compromise multiple susceptible Cisco Anyconnect SSL VPN appliances. Akira is one of the 25 groups with newly established data leak sites in 2023, claiming nearly 200 victims, and is linked to the Conti syndicate. Federal agencies are required to remediate identified vulnerabilities by March 7, 2024. The ransomware landscape has become lucrative, attracting new players, and the U.S. GAO has called for enhanced oversight into recommended practices for addressing ransomware.