Why security teams should prepare to slay the three-headed dragon [Q&A]
Governments, utilities and other key industries are prime targets for attack including from nation state actors and cybercriminals seeking to extract a ransom.
But David Anteliz, technical director at Skybox, believes that given the increase in tensions across the world threat actors will evolve their tactics with the use of a 'three-headed dragon approach' that goes beyond the probing we have seen so far.
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.
Businesses unprepared to deal with ransomware
Ransomware attacks continue to impact organizations worldwide with high costs, but businesses are still largely unprepared to deal with them.
New data from Arcserve shows half of IT decision makers surveyed by Dimensional Research have been targeted by ransomware, 35 percent report their organizations were asked to pay over $100,000 in ransom payments, and 20 percent were asked to pay between $1 million to $10 million.
Ransomware becomes increasingly professionalized
The world of ransomware is becoming increasingly professional and it’s easier than ever for new entrants to get into the business.
A new report from Tenable looks at the ransomware ecosystem and how it has become one of the biggest threats to organizations as well as being lucrative for the criminals behind it.
Fewer new ransomware families could mean a chance to disrupt cybercrime activity
Although ransomware remained the most common threat last year the number of new ransomware families and unique variants discovered in 2021 decreased significantly compared to previous years.
Researchers from WithSecure suggest that this could highlight a potential opportunity to disrupt the cybercrime ecosystem that's exacerbated the problem in recent years.
The rise of double extortion ransomware
We've become familiar with the widespread use of ransomware, but researchers at Rapid7 have been examining the rise of a newer phenomenon, 'double extortion'.
Pioneered by the Maze ransomware group, double extortion involves cybercriminals collecting files before encrypting them. Then if the target organization refuses to pay they threaten to release sensitive information.
Over half of organizations suffer cyberattacks in the cloud
A new report reveals that 53 percent of organizations have experienced a cyberattack on their cloud infrastructure within the last 12 months.
The 2022 Cloud Security Report from Netwrix shows that was the most common type of attack, experienced by 73 percent of respondents.
Almost half of IT security leaders believe they won't be breached
A new study shows 47 percent of security leaders do not believe they will be breached despite the increasing sophistication and frequency of attacks.
The survey of 1,000 IT and security professionals across eight countries, conducted by The Enterprise Strategy Group for Illumio finds in the past two years alone 76 percent have been attacked by ransomware and 66 percent have experienced at least one software supply chain attack.
New study reveals serious disconnect in executive planning for cyberattacks
A new study reveals a major disconnect in the way senior management teams collaborate and determine the risks and impact on their operations when hit by a cyberattack.
The research carried out by Sapio Research for Deep Instinct shows only 12 percent of chief financial officers are actively involved in the process, even though 56 percent say their organization has paid a ransom to recover data.
Ransomware vulnerabilities increase as Russia-linked activity surges
The first quarter of 2022 has seen a 7.6 percent increase in the number of vulnerabilities tied to ransomware, with 22 new ones discovered.
The latest Ransomware Index from Ivanti, conducted with Cyber Security Works, shows that of those 22, 19 are connected to Conti -- a prolific ransomware group that pledged support for the Russian government following the invasion of Ukraine.
Five years on from WannaCry -- what have we learned?
Today marks the fifth anniversary of the notorious WannaCry ransomware attack which hit a number of large organizations around the world and was many people's first encounter with ransomware.
Five years on then, what have we learned from the attack and what long-term effect has it had on the industry?
Countering the risk of ransomware with operational continuity
In recent years, organizations all over the world have been hit by increasingly sophisticated ransomware attacks. For some, the impact is so severe that normal business operations experience major disruption with a knock-on effect on customers and revenue. For others, the impact can last weeks or even months as they seek to restore IT services and access to vital data.
Since the start of last year, for example, organizations across a huge range of sectors -- from oil and gas to food -- have seen their services impacted by ransomware. KP Snacks suffered an incident that brought its supply chain to a halt, with the company unable to process orders and dispatch products. And most recently of all, The Works, a retailer with over 500 stores across the UK, was forced to close some outlets after an employee reportedly fell victim to a phishing email that introduced ransomware to their infrastructure.
The benefits of implementing a multi-layered ransomware defense strategy
Ransomware is becoming a risk that UK organizations cannot afford to take, with rising financial and operational costs. A staggering 75 percent of UK organizations were targeted by ransomware in 2021, and where these attacks were successful, most (82 percent) paid the ransom. This makes the UK the most likely country in the world to make ransom payments. As cybercriminal strategies evolve to bypass traditional network-based defenses, a multi-layered ransomware defense strategy is vital for organizations to protect their mission-critical data.
First, it’s important for us to understand the typical defense strategies that attackers have adapted to, in order to appreciate the rationale for the boost in cyber protection. And, we need to understand the rising costs of these incidents, to prove the business value of initiatives that are aimed at prioritizing prevention and detection of cyber-attacks before they occur. It’s not just a quick fix -- failure to implement these solutions can affect your profitability, reputation and even put your company out of business.
Agriculture under threat as ransomware attacks go against the grain
The FBI has warned food and agriculture companies to be prepared for ransomware operatives to attack agricultural entities during planting and harvest seasons.
The FBI warning notes previous ransomware attacks during these seasons against six grain cooperatives during the fall 2021 harvest and two attacks in early 2022 that could impact the planting season by disrupting the supply of seeds and fertilizer.
Kaspersky releases free decryptor for Yanluowang ransomware
While the Russian security firm has fallen out of favor in recent months, Kaspersky has announced that it has managed to crack the Yanluowang ransomware.
Yanluowang was discovered by Symantec last year, and now Kaspersky has identified a vulnerability in the encryption algorithm it uses. This has enabled the company to develop a free decryption tool which can be used by ransomware victims to get their data back without having to pay a cent.
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