Servers running the popular virtualization hypervisor VMware ESXi have come under attack from at least one ransomware group over the past week, likely following scanning activity to identify hosts with Open Service Location Protocol (OpenSLP) vulnerabilities.

HardBit is a ransomware threat that targets organizations to extort cryptocurrency payments for the decryption of their data. Seemingly improving upon their initial release, HardBit version 2.0 was introduced toward the end of November 2022, with samples seen throughout the end of 2022 and into 2023.