Ransomware Roundup: 07.24.23

The report details FIN8's shift to deploying BlackCat/ALPHV via the Sardonic backdoor and summarizes a wave of ransomware and data‑extortion incidents (Akira, Medusa, BianLian) impacting finance, retail, healthcare, and academia; it explains attacker techniques (POS malware, DLL side‑loading, zero‑day usage, data exfiltration), the growing overlap between criminal and state‑aligned activity, and the consequential pressures on cyber insurance and organizational resilience.