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Russian Ransomware Groups INC and The Gentlemen Deploy AI-Driven Phantom Framework for Fully Automated Attacks

SOCRadar researchers have disclosed the Phantom framework, an AI-powered autonomous ransomware attack platform operated by members linked to the INC and The Gentlemen groups. The system uses commercial large language models routed through OpenRouter to scan 7,158 edge devices, steal 535 administrator accounts, and compromise 4,140 endpoints. AI agents autonomously generate custom encryption binaries, craft personalized ransom demands based on stolen financial data, and write kernel drivers to disable EDR solutions before encryption. The framework runs on 32 custom MCP servers that give the AI direct access to scanning, credential abuse, financial analysis, and anti-detection tooling. Human operators only supply target prompts and approve final actions while the AI executes the entire kill chain. Phantom Agent v3.1 implants masquerade as Windows Update components and communicate over encrypted channels with randomized polling intervals. The discovery reveals a mature Ransomware-as-a-Service model that lowers the barrier for other criminal groups to conduct large-scale AI-automated extortion.