MongoDB Extortion: Why These Data Wipes Still Work in 2026 [Prime Cyber Insights]

[00:00] Aaron Cole: The speed of modern threats is moving faster than the patch cycles, and nowhere is that more obvious than in the latest data from the field. [00:08] Aaron Cole: I'm Aaron Cole, and we are seeing a massive spike in automated extortion targeting legacy infrastructure. [00:15] Lauren Mitchell: I'm Lauren Mitchell. [00:16] Lauren Mitchell: It is a stark reminder that even as we advance into 2026, the basics are still being missed. [00:23] Lauren Mitchell: Joining us today is Chad Thompson, who brings a systems-level perspective on AI, automation, and security, blending technical depth with creative insight from engineering and music production. [00:37] Lauren Mitchell: Chad, great to have you. [00:38] Chad Thompson: Thanks, Lauren. [00:40] Chad Thompson: It's fascinating to look at these attacks from a systems engineering lens. [00:44] Chad Thompson: We often think of hackers as sophisticated actors, [00:47] Chad Thompson: but a lot of what we're seeing right now is just efficient, [00:51] Chad Thompson: automated workflows, not unlike a signal chain in a studio. [00:55] Aaron Cole: Exactly. The latest reports show that exposed MongoDB instances are being hit by automated scripts that don't even bother with encryption anymore. [01:04] Aaron Cole: They just find the open port, wipe the data, and drop a ransom note. [01:07] Aaron Cole: Lauren, why is this still on our 2026 bingo card? [01:11] Lauren Mitchell: It's the gap between deployment speed and security oversight, Aaron. [01:16] Lauren Mitchell: Organizations are spinning up instances for dev environments and forgetting to move them behind a firewall or simply leaving default configurations. [01:24] Lauren Mitchell: Right. [01:24] Lauren Mitchell: The real-world implication is total data loss before you even realize you've been scanned. [01:29] Chad Thompson: From an automation standpoint, it's a numbers game. [01:32] Chad Thompson: Attackers are using AI-enhanced scanners to probe the entire IPv4 and IPv6 space for specific database signatures. [01:48] Aaron Cole: It's a rhythmic, repetitive process. [01:51] Chad Thompson: If the system finds a hole, an unprotected MongoDB port, [02:06] Chad Thompson: it triggers a sequence that executes the wipe and the extortion notice without any human intervention. [02:12] Aaron Cole: Right. It's brutal efficiency. [02:16] Aaron Cole: Chad, how does your background in music production help you visualize these automated attack chains? [02:22] Aaron Cole: Is there a way to break that rhythm? [02:24] Chad Thompson: In music, you use gates to stop unwanted noise. [02:29] Chad Thompson: In security, it's the same logic. [02:32] Chad Thompson: You have to create interrupts in the attacker's automated flow. [02:34] Chad Thompson: If we can't stop the scanning, we have to ensure the response, the configuration, [02:42] Chad Thompson: is fundamentally closed by default. [02:47] Chad Thompson: We need to treat security configurations [02:48] Chad Thompson: like a master template that can't be bypassed. [02:51] Lauren Mitchell: Absolutely. [02:53] Lauren Mitchell: Resilience isn't just about reacting. [02:55] Lauren Mitchell: It's about the systemic design. [02:58] Lauren Mitchell: If you aren't auditing your cloud footprint weekly, [03:01] Lauren Mitchell: you're essentially leaving the studio door unlocked [03:04] Lauren Mitchell: in a bad neighborhood. [03:05] Aaron Cole: A loud and clear message for everyone listening. [03:08] Aaron Cole: Audit those instances today. [03:11] Aaron Cole: For more insights on securing your environment, head over to pci.neuralnewscast.com. [03:17] Aaron Cole: I'm Aaron Cole. Thanks for joining us. [03:20] Lauren Mitchell: And I'm Lauren Mitchell. [03:22] Lauren Mitchell: Stay secure, and we'll see you next time on Prime Cyber Insights. [03:25] Lauren Mitchell: Neural Newscast is AI-assisted, human-reviewed. [03:29] Lauren Mitchell: View our AI Transparency Policy at neuralnewscast.com.