Ransomware and the places that worry about it most
Ransomware is predicted to cost businesses over $265 billion worldwide by 2031 according to Cybersecurity Ventures. New research from Ottowa-based managed services firm Firewall Technical has analyzed search data relating to ransomware attacks and come up with some interesting results.
Wannacry is the most searched for ransomware attack. With 6,830 related searches every month, the ransomware is still causing problems worldwide even though it was released back in 2017.
Bad Rabbit ransomware spreads across Eastern Europe with echoes of WannaCry and Petya
A new strain of ransomware -- dubbed Bad Rabbit -- has struck in Russia, Ukraine and other parts of Eastern Europe. It is thought to be a variation on Petya due to a number of similarities, and it is wreaking havoc with media outlets and transport systems, including an airport in Ukraine, and the underground in Kiev.
Like many other forms of malware, Bad Rabbit was initially spread through a fake Flash installer, but it was then able to spread via networks to hit a larger number of machines. The spread of the ransomware is further facilitated by using the open source Mimikatz for extracting credentials, and DiskCryptor for encrypting data.
Petya attackers make $250,000 demand
Criminals behind the recent Petya/NotPetya attack have made a fresh ransom demand as they look to continue their mayhem
A post on online hub DeepPaste said to be from the attackers is demanding 100 bitcoins ($250,000) to decrypt anything that's been affected by the recent attack. Motherboard managed to get in touch with one of the individuals claiming to be from the group. They tried the decryption on a file, and after a two-hour wait, it was successful.
Petya author releases master decryption key for all versions of the ransomware
The Petya ransomware -- and several variants -- wreaked havoc with data around the world, but now the author of the original malware has released the master decryption key.
Janus Cybercrime Solutions has provided a key that work with all "official" variants of Petya (meaning NotPetya is not included). The key was released to -- of all places -- Mega, and its authenticity has been verified. While Petya has already been cracked, the key offers the fastest and most reliable decryption method yet.
Petya ransomware goes global -- what's happening and how to protect yourself
The ransomware attack we reported yesterday may have begun in the Ukraine, but it spread rapidly across Europe and has now hit companies in Australia and the US including pharmacy giant Merck.
A variant of the Petya ransomware now being dubbed 'NotPetya', it spreads initially by phishing emails and once on a system the ransomware demands $300 in bitcoin. When it's installed on one system behind a firewall it's able to spread rapidly to others on the same network.
Major ransomware attack spreads rapidly across Europe
Companies, government departments and airports in the Ukraine have been hit by ransomware this afternoon and the attack now appears to be spreading across Europe.
In Ukraine, government departments, the central bank, a state-run aircraft manufacturer, Kiev airport and the metro network have all been hit. In the UK, the advertising company WPP says its systems have also been taken down, and Danish transport company Maersk reports sites and business units shut down by the attack.
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