fbi seal

FBI Warns U.S. Companies About Recent Scourge of “Maze” Ransomware Attacks

The advisory warned businesses about cyber attacks featuring cryptocurrency sites and spam campaigns impersonating government agencies.

In a recent advisory to private companies across the U.S., the FBI warned businesses about a series of cyber attacks using “Maze” ransomware, which began hitting American organizations in November.

According to CyberScoop, which obtained a copy of the alert sent to businesses in late December, the FBI described a recent scourge of ransomware attacks in which the hacker, sometimes acting as a government agency, stole data from companies and encrypted it to further extort the business.

“From its initial observation, Maze used multiple methods for intrusion, including the creation of malicious look-a-like cryptocurrency sites and malspam campaigns impersonating government agencies and well-known security vendors,” the advisory reads, according to CyberScoop.

The advisory also cited a late November attack in which hackers using Maze threatened to release confidential and sensitive files from an American victim in a move to extort the company for ransom.

Hackers using Maze software were behind the ransomware attack that targeted the city government of Pensacola, Florida in December shortly after a shooter killed three sailors at the Naval Air Station Pensacola.

The actors behind the attack released 2GB of files that were allegedly stolen from the government in an effort to pressure officials to pay the ransom, according to BleepingComputer. Hackers have demanded a $1 million payment to release the data.

Brett Callow, an analyst at cybersecurity firm Emsisoft, told StateScoop that the group is using the data as additional leverage to extort payment.

“Whether the city pays or doesn’t pay, the end result is the exactly same: their data is in the hands of cybercriminals,” Callow said. “Were the city to pay, it would simply have the criminals’ word that the data wouldn’t be released or that they wouldn’t attempt to extort money for a second time.”

Cybersecurity experts say that the Maze trend is an indication of attacks to come.

“We expect to see an increasing trend of threat actors stealing sensitive data from victim organizations before encrypting the data in the victim environments,” Charles Carmakal, senior vice president at Mandiant, told CyberScoop.

Carmakal added: “Organizations may feel more coerced to pay the threat actors because they may feel it’s the best option to prevent the disclosure of sensitive information."

About the Author

Haley Samsel is an Associate Content Editor for the Infrastructure Solutions Group at 1105 Media.

Featured

  • Pragmatism, Productivity, and the Push for Accountability in 2025-2026

    Every year, the security industry debates whether artificial intelligence is a disruption, an enabler, or a distraction. By 2025, that conversation matured, where AI became a working dimension in physical identity and access management (PIAM) programs. Observations from 2025 highlight this turning point in AI’s role in access control and define how security leaders are being distinguished based on how they apply it. Read Now

  • Report: Cyber Attackers Continue to Turn to AI-Based Tools to Avoid Detection

    Comcast Business recently released its 2025 Cybersecurity Threat Report, a comprehensive analysis of 34.6 billion cybersecurity events detected between June 1,2024 and May 31, 2025. Now in its third year, the report offers business leaders a unique perspective into the evolving threat landscape and provides actionable insights to help organizations strengthen their defenses and align cybersecurity with business risk. Read Now

  • Axis Communications Creates AI-powered Video Surveillance Orchestra

    What if cameras could not only see the world, but interpret it—and respond like orchestra musicians reading sheet music: instantly, precisely, and in perfect harmony? That’s what global network technology leader Axis Communications set to find out. Read Now

  • Just as Expected

    GSX produced a wonderful tradeshow earlier this week. Monday was surprisingly strong in the morning, and the afternoon wasn’t bad at all. That’s Monday’s results and asking attendees to travel on Sunday. Just a quick hint, no one wants to give up their weekend to travel and set up an exhibit booth. I’m just saying. Read Now

    • Industry Events
    • GSX
  • NOLA: The Crescent City

    Twenty years later we finds ourselves in New Orleans. Twenty years ago the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina forced exhibitors and attendees to look elsewhere for tradeshow floor space. Read Now

    • Industry Events
    • GSX

New Products

  • FEP GameChanger

    FEP GameChanger

    Paige Datacom Solutions Introduces Important and Innovative Cabling Products GameChanger Cable, a proven and patented solution that significantly exceeds the reach of traditional category cable will now have a FEP/FEP construction.

  • QCS7230 System-on-Chip (SoC)

    QCS7230 System-on-Chip (SoC)

    The latest Qualcomm® Vision Intelligence Platform offers next-generation smart camera IoT solutions to improve safety and security across enterprises, cities and spaces. The Vision Intelligence Platform was expanded in March 2022 with the introduction of the QCS7230 System-on-Chip (SoC), which delivers superior artificial intelligence (AI) inferencing at the edge.

  • Camden CV-7600 High Security Card Readers

    Camden CV-7600 High Security Card Readers

    Camden Door Controls has relaunched its CV-7600 card readers in response to growing market demand for a more secure alternative to standard proximity credentials that can be easily cloned. CV-7600 readers support MIFARE DESFire EV1 & EV2 encryption technology credentials, making them virtually clone-proof and highly secure.