Akira ransomware scum blocked victim's security tools – and broke their own encryptor
An Akira ransomware affiliate forced a victim’s computer into Safe Mode to disable security tools, which unintentionally broke the ransomware’s encryptor. The attackers had already compromised credentials and exfiltrated data before the Safe Mode reboot halted further encryption. Experts advise enabling multi‑factor authentication and note that Safe Mode is not a reliable defense against such attacks.
- ▪The intrusion began with a credential‑spray attack on a SonicWall SSL VPN that succeeded because the account lacked MFA.
- ▪The attacker used RDP to access the domain controller, enumerated Active Directory, and harvested data from file shares using tools like WinRAR and s5cmd.
- ▪After three hours, the attacker rebooted the system into Safe Mode with Networking, disabling most third‑party security software.
- ▪The limited resources in Safe Mode caused the ransomware’s encryptor to fail, highlighting a memory‑configuration issue rather than a dependable mitigation technique.
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| Original publisher | The Register |
| Canonical URL | https://www.theregister.com/research/2026/08/12/akira-ransomware-scum-blocked-victims-security-tools-and-broke-their-own-encryptor/5286515 |
| Publication time | Wed, 12 Aug 2026 15:00:00 +0200 |
| Retrieval time | 2026-08-12T13:01:36.195Z |
| Last seen | 2026-08-12T13:01:36.195Z |
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| Summary | WeSearch · cerebras-chat (WeSearch summarizer) |
| Summary source text | contentText |
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| Cluster | pTJ11qAb96nT · 1 stories |
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Basis: Derived from the published RSS/Atom feed. Contact: [email protected]. Reviewed: 2026-07-24.
Opening excerpt (first ~120 words) tap to expand
(function() { let windowUrl = window.location.href; windowUrl = windowUrl.substring(windowUrl.indexOf('?') + 1); let messageElement = document.querySelector('.shareableMessage'); if (windowUrl && windowUrl.includes('code') && windowUrl.includes('expires')) { messageElement.style.display = 'block'; } })(); Security Akira ransomware scum blocked victim's security tools – and broke their own encryptor Gives a whole new meaning to Safe Mode Jessica Lyons Jessica Lyons Cybersecurity Editor Published wed 12 Aug 2026 // 14:00 UTC An Akira ransomware affiliate rebooted a victim’s computer into Safe Mode to kill its security tools – and in the process sabotaged their own malware when the limited-function startup mode also broke their encryptor.But the ending wasn't entirely happy for the victim.
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Excerpt limited to ~120 words for fair-use compliance. The full article is at The Register.
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