// 01Executive summary
This report details the Federal Trade Commission's (FTC) comprehensive efforts to counter ransomware and other cyber-related attacks, including tech support scams and general malware exploits. It outlines the FTC's data security program, public education initiatives, and enforcement actions, specifically addressing threats originating from China, Russia, North Korea, and Iran. While not providing immediate Indicators of Compromise (IOCs), the report emphasizes the ongoing urgency of these diverse cyber threats and the necessity for robust consumer protection measures. It also highlights the importance of cross-border cooperation and analyzes consumer complaint data to inform broader defensive strategies and response actions against these persistent attack vectors.
// 02Key metrics
// ttps
3
ATT&CK techniques
// iocs
14
indicators
// actors
0
threat groups
// kwords
10
keywords
// 03MITRE ATT&CK
// 04Threat actors
// no actors matched
// 05Indicators of compromise
// ips0
none
// domains4
- trump-china-trade.html
- paddle.com
- gamesindustry.biz
- opportunities-301608283.html
// urls10
- http://www.csrc.gov.cn/csrc_en/c102034/c1372459/1372459/files/P020190415336431477120.pdf
- https://www.cna.org/our-media/indepth/2024/09/fused-together-the-chinese-communist-party-
- https://asia.nikkei.com/Business/Companies/China-s-companies-rewrite-rules-to-declare-Communist-
- https://www.dataprivacyandsecurityinsider.com/2025/01/video-game-maker-to-
- https://www.gamesindustry.biz/cognosphere-to-pay-20m-to-settle-ftc-complaint-on-genshin-impact
- https://www.netdragon.com
- https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/edmodo-announced-closure-of-its-b2c-version-to-focus-on-country-rollout-
- https://marketbrief.edweek.org/education-market/chinese-gaming-giant-netdragon-acquires-edmodo-for-137-million/2018/04
- https://ssrn.com/abstract=3852323
- http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3852323
// sha2560
none
// md50
none
// emails0
none
// cves0
none
// 06Geographic coverage
// 07YARA rule
```yara
rule TH_Ransomware_CyberAttacks_Report_Document_2024 {
meta:
author = "YARA Rule Expert"
date = "2024-07-30"
description = "Detects documents or files related to a specific report on ransomware and cyber attacks, incorporating identified network IOCs and unique text patterns."
reference = "Internal Threat Intelligence"
tlp = "TLP:WHITE" // Can be shared broadly without restriction.
strings:
// Placeholder for file hashes - No hashes provided in context.
// $hash_md5_placeholder = "d41d8cd98f00b204e9800998ecf8427e" nocase ascii wide
// $hash_sha256_placeholder = "e3b0c44298fc1c149afbf4c8996fb92427ae41e4649b934ca495991b7852b855" nocase ascii wide
// Network Indicators of Compromise (IOCs) - Domains and URLs
// Domains
$network_domain_1_ascii = "trump-china-trade.html" ascii nocase
$network_domain_1_wide = "t\x00r\x00u\x00m\x00p\x00-\x00c\x00h\x00i\x00n\x00a\x00-\x00t\x00r\x00a\x00d\x00e\x00.\x00h\x00t\x00m\x00l" wide nocase
$network_domain_2_ascii = "paddle.com" ascii nocase
$network_domain_2_wide = "p\x00a\x00d\x00d\x00l\x00e\x00.\x00c\x00o\x00m" wide nocase
$network_domain_3_ascii = "gamesindustry.biz" ascii nocase
$network_domain_3_wide = "g\x00a\x00m\x00e\x00s\x00i\x00n\x00d\x00u\x00s\x00t\x00r\x00y\x00.\x00b\x00i\x00z" wide nocase
$network_domain_4_ascii = "opportunities-301608283.html" ascii nocase
$network_domain_4_wide = "o\x00p\x00p\x00o\x00r\x00t\x00u\x00n\x00i\x00t\x00i\x00e\x00s\x00-\x003\x000\x001\x006\x000\x008\x002\x008\x003\x00.\x00h\x00t\x00m\x00l" wide nocase
// URLs
$network_url_1_ascii = "http://www.csrc.gov.cn/csrc_en/c102034/c1372459/1372459/files/P020190415336431477120.pdf" ascii nocase
$network_url_1_wide = "h\x00t\x00t\x00p\x00:\x00/\x00/\x00w\x00w\x00w\x00.\x00c\x00s\x00r\x00c\x00.\x00g\x00o\x00v\x00.\x00c\x00n\x00/\x00c\x00s\x00r\x00c\x00_\x00e\x00n\x00/\x00c\x001\x000\x002\x000\x003\x004\x00/\x00c\x001\x003\x007\x002\x004\x005\x009\x00/\x001\x003\x007\x002\x004\x005\x009\x00/\x00f\x00i\x00l\x00e\x00s\x00/\x00P\x000\x002\x000\x001\x009\x000\x004\x001\x005\x003\x003\x006\x004\x003\x001\x004\x007\x007\x001\x002\x000\x00.\x00p\x00d\x00f" wide nocase
$network_url_2_ascii = "https://www.cna.org/our-media/indepth/2024/09/fused-together-the-chinese-communist-party-" ascii nocase
$network_url_2_wide = "h\x00t\x00t\x00p\x00s\x00:\x00/\x00/\x00w\x00w\x00w\x00.\x00c\x00n\x00a\x00.\x00o\x00r\x00g\x00/\x00o\x00u\x00r\x00-\x00m\x00e\x00d\x00i\x00a\x00/\x00i\x00n\x00d\x00e\x00p\x00t\x00h\x00/\x002\x000\x002\x004\x00/\x000\x009\x00/\x00f\x00u\x00s\x00e\x00d\x00-\x00t\x00o\x00g\x00e\x00t\x00h\x00e\x00r\x00-\x00t\x00h\x00e\x00-\x00c\x00h\x00i\x00n\x00e\x00s\x00e\x00-\x00c\x00o\x00m\x00m\x00u\x00n\x00i\x00s\x00t\x00-\x00p\x00a\x00r\x00t\x00y\x00-" wide nocase
$network_url_3_ascii = "https://asia.nikkei.com/Business/Companies/China-s-companies-rewrite-rules-to-declare-Communist-" ascii nocase
$network_url_3_wide = "h\x00t\x00t\x00p\x00s\x00:\x00/\x00/\x00a\x00s\x00i\x00a\x00.\x00n\x00i\x00k\x00k\x00e\x00i\x00.\x00c\x00o\x00m\x00/\x00B\x00u\x00s\x00i\x00n\x00e\x00s\x00s\x00/\x00C\x00o\x00m\x00p\x00a\x00n\x00i\x00e\x00s\x00/\x00C\x00h\x00i\x00n\x00a\x00-\x00s\x00-\x00c\x00o\x00m\x00p\x00a\x00n\x00i\x00e\x00s\x00-\x00r\x00e\x00w\x00r\x00i\x00t\x00e\x00-\x00r\x00u\x00l\x00e\x00s\x00-\x00t\x00o\x00-\x00d\x00e\x00c\x00l\x00a\x00r\x00e\x00-\x00C\x00o\x00m\x00m\x00u\x00n\x00i\x00s\x00t\x00-" wide nocase
// Placeholder for Windows API calls - No API calls provided in context.
// $api_createfile = "CreateFileW" ascii wide
// $api_regopenkey = "RegOpenKeyExA" ascii wide
// Placeholder for Registry Keys - No registry keys provided in context.
// $registry_run_key = "SOFTWARE\\Microsoft\\Windows\\CurrentVersion\\Run" ascii wide
// Unique text patterns from the provided text sample
// These strings are likely to appear in the specific report or related documents.
$string_ftc_efforts_1 = "The FTC’s Efforts in the Greater" ascii wide nocase
$string_ransomware_2 = "Fight Against Ransomware and" ascii wide nocase
$string_cyber_attacks_3 = "Cyber-Related Attacks" ascii wide nocase
$string_update_4 = "Update: 2025" ascii wide nocase
$string_report_5 = "A Report to Congress" ascii wide nocase
$string_date_6 = "January 30, 2026" ascii wide nocase
$string_federal_7 = "FEDERAL TRADE COMMISSION" ascii wide nocase
$string_chairman_8 = "Andrew N. Ferguson, Chairman" ascii wide nocase
$string_commissioner_9 = "Mark R. Meador, Commissioner" ascii wide nocase
$string_summary_10 = "Executive Summary" ascii wide nocase
$string_data_security_11 = "The FTC’s Data Security Program" ascii wide nocase
$string_tech_scams_12 = "Tech Support Scams" ascii wide nocase
condition:
// Detection logic:
// This condition aims to detect files that either communicate with the specified network IOCs
// OR contain a significant number of the unique text patterns from the provided report sample.
// The structure is adapted from the requirement (X of ($hash_*)) or (Y of ($network_*) and Z of ($api_*))
// to use available string types since hashes and API calls were not provided in the context.
(3 of ($network_*)) or (5 of ($string_*))
}
```
// 08Keywords
{'keyword': 'ftc', 'score': 134.2091}
{'keyword': 'gov', 'score': 79.7874}
{'keyword': 'consumers', 'score': 72.4819}
{'keyword': 'https', 'score': 71.9639}
{'keyword': 'data', 'score': 65.9972}
{'keyword': 'www', 'score': 62.6177}
{'keyword': 'https www', 'score': 61.1846}
{'keyword': 'consumer', 'score': 59.7036}
{'keyword': 'report', 'score': 52.3888}
{'keyword': 'security', 'score': 52.0102}