Lotus Wiper Malware Targets Venezuelan Energy Systems in Destructive Attack

Kaspersky researchers discovered Lotus Wiper, a destructive data wiper malware targeting Venezuelan energy infrastructure in coordinated attacks throughout late 2025 and early 2026.

• •The attack uses two batch scripts that disable system defenses, enumerate user accounts, and prepare the environment before executing the wiper payload
• •The wiper erases recovery mechanisms, overwrites physical drives, and systematically deletes files across affected volumes to render systems inoperable
• •The malware shows signs of targeted operations with prior knowledge of the environment, including targeting older Windows versions and Active Directory domain environments
• •No ransom or extortion demands are present, indicating attacks are motivated by destructive intent rather than financial gain
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