[REUTERS BREAKING NEWS] U.S. to give ransomware hacks similar priority as terrorism

Jun 3, 2021 3:43:22 PM By Stu Sjouwerman

June 3, 2021 - 3:30PM EDT -- The U.S. Department of Justice is elevating investigations of ransomware attacks to a similar priority as terrorism in the wake of the Colonial Pipeline hack ...

Everyone Has It Wrong. It Is Not Double Extortion, It Is Quintuple Extortion!

Jun 3, 2021 2:12:53 PM By Roger Grimes

I keep seeing a new ransomware term, “double extortion” being discussed. It is the hot, new buzzword surrounding ransomware. This term attempts to summarize how ransomware is no longer ...

Ransomware's Impact Highlights the Threat of Social Engineering

Jun 3, 2021 2:10:23 PM By Stu Sjouwerman

Ransomware actors are continuing to shift their focus to disrupting operations that affect people’s daily lives, according to the Wall Street Journal. A ransomware attack on Wednesday ...

Two-Thirds of Organizations Plan to Improve Their Cybersecurity in the Wake of Devastating Ransomware Attacks

Jun 2, 2021 4:53:53 PM By Stu Sjouwerman

With 81% of organizations believing ransomware attacks will become more prevalent in the second half of 2021, nearly everyone is preparing for the worst to come.

New Ransomware Strain Epsilon Red is Reported

Jun 1, 2021 11:32:07 AM By Stu Sjouwerman

Researchers at Sophos report finding a new ransomware strain in the wild. They call it “Epsilon Red.” The malware is written in GO, and it was delivered as the final executable payload in ...

New Would-Be Ransomware Attack Only Focuses on Stealing Data via the Java-Based STRAAT Malware

May 28, 2021 9:49:51 AM By Stu Sjouwerman

New details from Microsoft Security Intelligence discuss an attack that displays ransomware-like behavior, but simply seeks to install the credential theft-focused remote access trojan.

Cybersecurity Insurance Landscape Is Fundamentally Changing Right Now

May 26, 2021 8:36:48 AM By Roger Grimes

By Roger Grimes. Ransomware is stealing so much money and interrupting so many businesses that it might be the beginning of their undoing. It is certainly radically changing the ...

Ransomware-as-a-Service is Organizing, Becoming More Devastating and Costly

May 21, 2021 1:11:36 PM By Stu Sjouwerman

Take a look at the complex relationships that exist today between the ransomware gangs and the various services they utilize, and you quickly realize this is a very organized and ...

Paying the Ransom Is Not Just About Decryption

May 14, 2021 1:02:38 PM By Roger Grimes

I just read that a well-known pipeline company paid $5M to the ransomware hacker group. And despite that, they are still having to use their backups because the decryption process is too ...

Kicking You While You’re Down: Ransomware Attacks Begin to Adopt a “Triple Extortion” Model

May 14, 2021 9:11:24 AM By Stu Sjouwerman

New tactics spotted by security researchers at CheckPoint indicate a growing pattern by ransomware gangs to use additional extortion actions to increase revenues and ensure payment.

Ransomware Attack Demands Cause Cyber Insurance Claim Amounts to Skyrocket

May 14, 2021 9:10:29 AM By Stu Sjouwerman

The perfect storm of large enterprises, cyber insurance policies, successful ransomware attacks, and ransom demands in the tens of millions now consistently result in seven-figure claim ...

[ALERT] Time to Truly Reckon with the Dark Reality of Ransomware’s Critical Costs

May 11, 2021 8:26:43 AM By Perry Carpenter

By now, I’m sure you’ve already been inundated with all the news about the US’s largest gasoline pipeline being shut down and restarted because of a ransomware attack. As reported by the ...

Student’s Attempt to Pirate Software Leads to Ryuk Ransomware Attack

May 7, 2021 8:45:52 AM By Stu Sjouwerman

Bleeping Computer recently reported that a student attempted to pirate expensive data visualization software, which resulted in a Ryuk ransomware attack.

A Snapshot of the Ransomware Landscape

May 4, 2021 11:23:33 AM By Stu Sjouwerman

Organizations need to take steps to disrupt the ransomware industry by making these attacks more expensive to carry out, according to Jen Miller-Osborn from Palo Alto Networks' Unit 42. ...

UK IT Decision Makers Fear Their Remote Workers Put Company Data at Risk for Data Breach

May 4, 2021 11:23:23 AM By Stu Sjouwerman

According to an annual survey from Apricorn, UK IT decision makers are fearing the worst as their staff continues to work in a remote environment.

Do Ransomware Gangs Restore Data, Even After They're Paid?

May 4, 2021 9:23:28 AM By Stu Sjouwerman

Only 8% of ransomware victims get all of their data back after paying the ransom, according to researchers at Sophos. The researchers found that, on average, victims who pay the ransom ...

The Cost of Remediating a Ransomware Attack More than Doubles and is Quickly Approaching $2 Million

Apr 30, 2021 12:25:12 PM By Stu Sjouwerman

With 54% of organizations unable to stop a ransomware attack before data is encrypted and operations are impacted, the increasing cost of ransomware remediation is troubling.

Ransomware Operators Threaten to Short Victims’ Stocks

Apr 29, 2021 10:33:38 AM By Stu Sjouwerman

The Darkside ransomware operators are now offering to tip off unscrupulous stock traders before they post the names of publicly traded victim companies, the Record reports. The criminals ...

Ransomware Demands Spike by 43% Already in 2021

Apr 29, 2021 10:33:30 AM By Stu Sjouwerman

Cybercriminal groups are increasing their automated and tactical ransomware attacks. Unfortunately, that also means they have an increase in greed.

[HEADS UP] Ransomware Gangs are Creating Ransomware Cartels

Apr 29, 2021 10:33:20 AM By Stu Sjouwerman

Analysis by threat intelligence group Analyst1 recently uncovered that the bad guys are responsible for forming a ransomware cartel.

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