North Korean state hackers seen using Medusa ransomware in attacks on US, Middle East Hackers tied to one of North Korea’s most sophisticated state-backed groups have been seen deploying Medusa ransomware in financially-motivated attacks on at least two institutions. Cybersecurity experts at Symantec said they saw Medusa attacks launched by members of Lazarus — a well-known North Korean hacking operation housed within the country’s military — against a company in the Middle East and a healthcare organization in the U.S. Medusa is operated on the ransomware-as-a-service model, where affiliates can launch attacks using the malware and offer the ransomware’s developers a percentage of the ransom payment. The group emerged in 2023 and has since launched more than 350 attacks, with experts…