ENGlobal Corporation, a prominent contractor in the energy sector, has disclosed that a ransomware attack in November 2024 led to the exposure of sensitive personal data. The incident, which occurred on November 25, forced the company to take certain systems offline as a containment measure, limiting access to only critical business processes.
In early December, ENGlobal reported the incident to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), stating that some data on its systems had been encrypted during the attack. However, at the time, the company did not confirm whether any data had been stolen. In a subsequent regulatory filing, ENGlobal revealed that the attackers had indeed accessed sensitive personal information stored on its systems, though it did not provide specific details about the nature or scope of the breach.
“The cybersecurity incident involved the threat actor’s access to a portion of the company’s IT system that contained sensitive personal information. The company intends to provide notifications to affected and potentially affected parties and applicable regulatory agencies as required by federal and state law,” ENGlobal stated.
ENGlobal assured stakeholders that the threat actor had been removed from its network and that all systems had been fully restored. The company also confirmed that its business operations and functions have resumed as usual. However, the attack significantly disrupted the company’s operations for approximately six weeks, limiting access to critical business applications, including financial and operating reporting systems.
Despite the disruption, ENGlobal stated that the incident is not expected to have a material impact on its financial position or operational results. The company emphasized its commitment to notifying affected individuals and regulatory agencies in compliance with federal and state laws.
The ENGlobal incident highlights the escalating threat of ransomware attacks, particularly against critical infrastructure and energy sector companies. Ransomware attacks not only disrupt operations but also expose sensitive data, putting individuals and organizations at risk of identity theft, financial fraud, and other cybercrimes.
To mitigate such risks, cybersecurity experts recommend the following measures:
As of now, no known ransomware group has claimed responsibility for the attack, and ENGlobal has not disclosed any information about the threat actor behind the incident. This lack of attribution is not uncommon in ransomware cases, as attackers often operate anonymously to avoid legal repercussions.
The ransomware attack on ENGlobal Corporation serves as a stark reminder of the vulnerabilities faced by organizations in the energy sector and beyond. While the company has managed to restore its systems and resume operations, the incident underscores the importance of robust cybersecurity measures and proactive threat mitigation strategies. As ransomware attacks continue to evolve, organizations must remain vigilant and prepared to defend against increasingly sophisticated threats.
A newly discovered vulnerability in Ivanti Connect Secure VPN systems, called CVE-2025-0282, has been actively exploited by hackers to deploy custom malware. This critical security flaw affects older versions of Ivanti’s VPN appliances, including Connect Secure, Policy Secure, and Neurons for ZTA gateways. Despite the wide impact, Ivanti has clarified that the attacks are currently limited to a small number of users.
The problem was a stack-based buffer overflow that could be exploited by hackers using specially crafted requests to breach systems. The breaches were reported to have started in December 2024 by Mandiant, a leading cybersecurity firm. Hackers accessed the compromised devices using this flaw, disabled all important security settings, and installed malicious software.
New Malware Families Identified
During the course of the investigation, two other malware variants, Dryhook and Phasejam, were discovered on infected systems. There is no established connection between these malware families and any known hacking groups. In addition, hackers utilized a toolkit named Spawn, which is also used by suspected Chinese espionage groups.
Dryhook: This malware captures login credentials, such as usernames and passwords, during the authentication process.
Phasejam: A dropper that installs malicious web shells, allowing hackers to execute commands remotely.
How the Attack Works
The attack process involves several steps:
1. Identifying Targets: Hackers scan devices using specialized HTTP requests to identify vulnerable systems.
2. Exploitation: They exploit the CVE-2025-0282 flaw to bypass security.
3. Malware Deployment: They disable protections, modify system files, and install tools such as backdoors and tunneling utilities once inside.
4. Data Theft: They steal sensitive information, including session details and credentials. This data is often archived and staged for transfer via public servers.
5. Maintaining Access: Hackers alter upgrade processes, making their changes persist even after system updates.
When the vulnerability was discovered, more than 3,600 Ivanti VPN devices were exposed online. Although the number decreased to around 2,800 after the software patch, most systems are still exposed to this threat.
What Can Be Done?
To defend against this threat, Ivanti advises doing the following:
Why it Matters
This makes it strongly essential for organizations to pay much heed to their cybersecurity. Hackers have become really intricate in operation, where they steal the most sensitive data from widely used systems such as VPNs. Businesses need to be alert and update their system with frequent revisions in the security policies to curb these threats.