A task force of 60+ experts from industry, government, nonprofits, and academia calls on the US and allies to take steps to fight a surge in ransomware attacks A task force of more than 60 experts from industry, government, nonprofits and academia is urging the U.S. government and global allies to take immediate steps to stem a growing global […]
When it comes to all the various types of malware out there, none has ever dominated the headlines quite as much as ransomware. Sure, several individual malware outbreaks have turned into truly global stories over the years. The LoveBug mass-mailing virus of 2000 springs to mind, which blasted itself into hundreds of millions of mailboxes within a few […]
When IT and security professionals plan how to respond, they must not underestimate the degree to which many of the transformative changes to our working patterns enacted due to COVID-19 have already changed our risk of ransomware attacks. After the first “shelter in place” orders were issued, many organizations swung into action to accommodate work-from-anywhere policies. The […]
It’s three weeks since the word HAFNIUM hit the news. The word Hafnium refers to a cybergang who are said to focus on stealing data from pretty much anyone and everyone they can infiltrate, across an eclectic range of industry sectors, and this time they hit a sort-of cybercrime jackpot. The Hafnium crew, it turned out, not only knew […]
A new report has emerged stating that average ransomware payments jumped by more than 171% in 2020, suggesting that cybercriminals have benefitted from an extremely lucrative period throughout the pandemic. The numbers come from Palo Alto Networks, who noted an 171% increase in ransomware payments from organisations and individuals that had been hit by the […]
Group-IB published a report titled “Ransomware Uncovered 2020-2021”. analyzes ransomware landscape in 2020 and TTPs of major threat actors. Group-IB, a global threat hunting and adversary-centric cyber intelligence company, has presented its new report “Ransomware Uncovered 2020-2021”. The research dives deep into the global ransomware outbreak in 2020 and analyzes major players’ TTPs (tactics, techniques, and procedures). By the […]
A new ransomware called Vovalex is being distributed through fake pirated software that impersonates popular Windows utilities, such as CCleaner. When it comes down to it, all ransomware infections boil down to the same function – encrypt a device’s files and then drop a ransom note demanding payment in some form. While Vovalex is no […]
A joint operation of U.S. and EU law enforcement authorities allowed the seizure of the leak sites used by NetWalker ransomware operators. Law enforcement authorities in the U.S. and Europe have seized the dark web sites used by NetWalker ransomware operators. The authorities also charged a Canadian national involved in the NetWalker ransomware operations. “The Department of Justice today […]
Healthcare leaders will need to shift into a proactive security approach into 2021, if they hope to defend against the onslaught of ransomware and phishing threats. The ransomware surge during the last few months has already continued into 2021. And though the malware will remain a key trend into this year, healthcare industry stakeholders will need […]
2020 was a great year for ransomware gangs. For hospitals, schools, municipal governments, and everyone else, it’s going to get worse before it gets better. AT THE END of September, an emergency room technician in the United States gave WIRED a real-time account of what it was like inside their hospital as a ransomware attack […]
Ransomware-as-a-service (RaaS) crews are actively looking for affiliates to split profits obtained in outsourced ransomware attacks targeting high profile public and private organizations. The more well-known ransomware gangs run private affiliate programs where affiliates can submit applications and resumes to apply for membership. For affiliates that are accepted into the program, the ransomware developers receive […]
A relative newcomer in the “malware-as-a-service” scene is starting to attract the big-money ransomware criminals. Source: Buer Loader “malware-as-a-service” joins Emotet for ransomware delivery Understanding malware as a service MaaS Chaos. Is Malware-as-a-Service Growing? In the legitimate business world, there’s something known as Software-as-a-Service, or SaaS. Here’s a definition: A software licensing-and-delivery model in which […]
The Springfield Public Schools district in Massachusetts has become the victim of a ransomware attack that has caused the closure of schools while they investigate the cyberattack. Source: Massachusetts school district shut down by ransomware attack FBI warning schools to create a ransomware attack plan
No patients were affected, but the incident was another reminder of the risks in the increasingly common assaults on healthcare computer networks. A Philadelphia company that sells software used in hundreds of clinical trials, including the crash effort to develop tests, treatments and a vaccine for the coronavirus, was hit by a ransomware attack that […]
Tyler Technologies, a Texas-based company that bills itself as the largest provider of software and technology services to the United States public sector, is battling a network intrusion that has disrupted its operations. The company declined to discuss the exact cause of the disruption, but their response so far is straight out of the playbook… […]
Better yet – do the basics and your systems won’t get encrypted in the first place Source: Don’t pay the ransom, mate. Don’t even fix a price, say Australia’s cyber security bods The infoseccers strongly advised against paying the criminals: Paying a ransom does not guarantee decryption of data. Open source reporting indicates several instances […]
Equinix, one of the world’s largest providers of colocation data centers and Internet connection announced it was hit by Netwalker Ransomware. Source: Colocation data centers giant Equinix data hit by Netwalker Ransomware Equinix data center giant hit by Netwalker Ransomware, $4.5M ransom Equinix Ransomware Attack Hits Company’s Internal Systems Equinix Statement on Security Incident Download […]
