This threat intelligence report focuses on ransomware attacks with a special emphasis on the vulnerabilities faced by small businesses, which often lack sufficient cybersecurity resources and expertise. The psychological impact of ransomware incidents is underscored, highlighting trauma comparable to financial and operational losses. The report introduces a new malware campaign attributed to the North Korean threat actor group Famous Chollima. This campaign targets job seekers by distributing trojanized applications designed to steal credentials and cryptocurrency wallets. The malware employs a variety of tactics and techniques mapped to MITRE ATT&CK IDs such as credential dumping (T1003), input capture (T1056), phishing (T1566), and execution through user interaction (T1204). The campaign uses hashes associated with malware families like Beavertail and Ottercookie, indicating sophisticated multi-stage attacks. The threat actor leverages social engineering to exploit job seekers’ trust, increasing the likelihood of successful infection. The report also highlights the necessity of empathetic leadership during incident response to address both technical remediation and the psychological well-being of victims. While no CVSS score is provided, the medium severity rating reflects the moderate ease of exploitation combined with significant impacts on confidentiality and availability, particularly for smaller organizations. No known exploits in the wild are reported yet, but the campaign’s targeting of credential and cryptocurrency theft poses a substantial risk. The report recommends comprehensive incident response plans that integrate human factors and technical controls to mitigate damage effectively.

European organizations, particularly small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), face substantial risks from this threat. The financial impact includes ransom payments, operational downtime, and costs related to recovery and remediation. The psychological toll on employees and leadership can affect organizational resilience and recovery speed. Credential theft can lead to further compromise of corporate networks and unauthorized access to sensitive data. Cryptocurrency theft directly impacts financial assets and can be difficult to trace or recover. The targeting of job seekers may also affect recruitment processes and employee trust. Given the prevalence of SMEs across Europe and their often limited cybersecurity budgets, these organizations are disproportionately vulnerable. Disruption to critical business functions can cascade, affecting supply chains and customer trust. The threat actor’s North Korean origin suggests potential geopolitical motivations, possibly targeting organizations with strategic or economic significance. Overall, the threat could undermine business continuity, data confidentiality, and financial stability within European markets.

1. Implement targeted user awareness training focusing on social engineering tactics used in job seeker scams, emphasizing caution with unsolicited job applications and downloads. 2. Deploy multi-factor authentication (MFA) across all critical systems to reduce the risk of credential misuse. 3. Maintain up-to-date endpoint protection solutions capable of detecting known malware hashes and behavior patterns associated with Beavertail and Ottercookie families. 4. Develop and regularly test incident response plans that incorporate psychological support mechanisms for affected personnel, ensuring empathetic leadership during crises. 5. Monitor network traffic and logs for indicators of compromise, including the provided malware hashes and suspicious credential access patterns. 6. Restrict execution of unauthorized applications and enforce application whitelisting where feasible. 7. Secure cryptocurrency wallets using hardware wallets or cold storage solutions to minimize theft risk. 8. Collaborate with local cybersecurity authorities and information sharing organizations to stay informed about emerging threats and mitigation strategies. 9. Conduct regular backups stored offline or in immutable storage to enable recovery without paying ransom. 10. Harden recruitment and HR systems to detect and prevent trojanized application submissions.