Critical Oracle Vulnerability Under Active Exploitation by Clop Ransomware Group

The UK's National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) has issued an urgent advisory calling for organizations to patch their Oracle EBS systems immediately. The vulnerability is being actively weaponized by cybercriminals for data theft and extortion purposes, with the notorious Clop ransomware group leading the attacks ^[2].

The timing of this attack is particularly concerning, as recent research indicates that 80% of organizations that fall victim to ransomware attacks end up paying the ransom demands ^[3]. This high payment rate has made ransomware an increasingly lucrative criminal enterprise, with attackers targeting critical business systems like Oracle EBS.

The BBC reports that this year has seen a significant uptick in major cyber attacks against UK businesses, partially attributed to what experts describe as a "cumulative effect of inaction on cybersecurity" from both government and business sectors ^[4]. The Oracle EBS vulnerability exemplifies how quickly criminal groups can exploit newly discovered security weaknesses.

Oracle's emergency response included releasing a critical patch to address the vulnerability, demonstrating the severity of the threat. Security experts emphasize that organizations using Oracle EBS should prioritize applying this patch immediately, as the active exploitation by the Clop ransomware group poses an immediate and serious risk to unpatched systems ^[2].

1. NCSC: Patch Critical Oracle EBS Bug Now
2. Clop crew hits Oracle E-Business Suite users with fresh zero-day
3. 80% of firms that experienced a ransomware attack have paid up, says research - generating millions of dollars of easy cash for criminals
4. The true extent of cyber attacks on UK business - and the weak spots that allow them to happen