Ransomware has become infamous in the past few years, largely due to its involvement in a growing number of cyberattacks during this time. Of course, not all ransomware works in the same way, and recognizing the difference could prove to be useful. Therefore, we’ve taken a few moments and assembled a brief description of the four most common ransomware varieties.
The COVID-19 pandemic has certainly changed the way we do things in a very short period of time. Unfortunately, in times of absolute crisis and anxiety, cybercriminals use it as camouflage to steal data and infiltrate normally-secure networks. Let’s take a look at some of the ways hackers are able to exploit your employees and how you can work to protect your business.
Malware is a commonality in today’s computing environment, though businesses do everything in their power to avoid encountering it. Some people have difficulty identifying threats, which makes for a dangerous situation whenever they actually have to handle them. We’ve put together a malware guide that will help your employees identify the most common types of threats out there, as well as how to respond to them.
Ransomware is a contender for the favorite method of attack for hackers. If you think about it, ransomware presents a no-loss situation. Either the victim pays the ransom and the hackers laugh all the way to the bank, or they move on to the next target and give them the same ultimatum.
Hackers aren’t the only ones out there developing malware tools, but sometimes, they get their hands on some of the others. This is precisely what happened when Double Pulsar, a malware that the NSA has used in the past, was paired with a Chinese hacking tool and used to attack Hong Kong and Belgium in 2016.
I think by now most people understand just how dangerous ransomware is. Even with some of the ridiculous names they have like Gandcrab, Jigsaw, and WannaCry. Hell, two strains even have names from the James Bond canon: LeChiffre and GoldenEye. But one funny-named strain of ransomware, SamSam, has been devastating information systems for sometime, and has caught the eye of several U.S. law enforcement agencies.
According to the homeland security adviser to the White House, Tom Bossert, international blame for the global WannaCry attack is being directed toward North Korea. Responsibility for the attack that spanned from May 12th to the 15th of 2017 has been firmly placed on the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, which Bossert says is in agreement with the conclusions of Australia, Canada, Japan and New Zealand.
Bossert wrote an opinion-editorial piece for The Wall Street Journal that said:
“We do not make this allegation lightly. It is based on evidence. We are not alone with our findings, either. Other governments and private companies agree. The United Kingdom attributes the attack to North Korea, and Microsoft traced the attack to cyber affiliates of the North Korean government.”
This isn’t exactly news, as it only took a month after the attack to associate WannaCry with a North Korean hacking group named Lazarus.
Thanks to the efforts of another hacking group, the National Security Agency lost EternalBlue, an exploit that took advantage of a critical flaw in Windows Server Message Block. WannaCry took advantage of the EternalBlue exploit to launch a worldwide malware campaign in April of 2017, infecting thousands and causing healthcare providers to shut their doors.
In response, Facebook and Microsoft formed a partnership to help fight off any future attacks like WannaCry. While they will hopefully never need to take action, it is a good thing they are preparing. Bossert has stated that North Korea has shifted its focus away from nuclear threats, turning its attention instead towards cyberwarfare to fund their other initiatives and terrorize the world.
So why should this matter to your business?
Simply put, these actions should light a fire and push you to ensure that you have a comprehensive security plan in place for your business. While most governments have staggering resources at their disposal, the proper preparations might help you to avoid at least some of the damage.
BEI is here to assist you as you make those preparations. Call (844) BIZ-EDGE to learn more.
You can never be too careful about what you install on your computers. In this most recent example, Google Chrome users are finding themselves targeted by a new type of malware called Nigelthorn.