HelloKitty

Cisco Talos researchers have identified Kraken, a Russian-speaking ransomware group that emerged in early 2025 from the HelloKitty cartel, conducting big-game-hunting and double-extortion attacks. The group now targets enterprise environments with cross-platform encryptors for Windows, Linux, and VMware ESXi systems. Attacks observed in August 2025 exploited SMB vulnerabilities for initial access.