Ransomware on ESXi: The mechanization of virtualized attacks

In 2024, ransomware attacks targeting VMware ESXi servers reached alarming levels, with the average ransom demand skyrocketing to $5 million. With approximately 8,000 ESXi hosts exposed directly to the internet (according to Shodan), the operational and business impact of these attacks is profound.
Most of the Ransomware strands that are attacking ESXi servers nowadays, are variants of the