Defending Against Ransomware is a Team Effort

Jan 17, 2020 8:29:41 AM By Stu Sjouwerman

Ransomware operators have grown very skilled in targeting exactly what will compel an organization to pay up, according to Andrew Brandt, principal researcher at Sophos. On the ...

[Heads-up] The Evil Ryuk Ransomware Strain Now Uses Wake-on-Lan To Encrypt Your Offline Devices

Jan 17, 2020 6:32:05 AM By Stu Sjouwerman

You must have heard of RYUK before. It's one of the most nasty, evil ransomware strains attributed to the North Korean state sponsored cyber criminals. They are an APT—Advanced Persistent ...

Nemty Ransomware Creators Plan to Post Stolen Data of Non-Payors to Blog

Jan 16, 2020 11:55:12 AM By Stu Sjouwerman

In a twist to the newest ransomware tactic where data is stolen and then encrypted, the folks behind Nemty are going to use a blog to publish victims data if they don’t pay.

You Should Be Scared of the Latest Strains of Phobos Ransomware

Jan 15, 2020 2:59:51 PM By Stu Sjouwerman

In an unusual twist, it’s not actually the ransomware itself that makes the newer forms of Phobos so frightening; it’s the people behind the attacks that will have you worried.

Travelex Warns Customers: Watch Out For Phishing Or Telephone Scams In Aftermath of Ransomware Attack

Jan 15, 2020 2:50:46 PM By Stu Sjouwerman

A little more than two weeks ago on New Year’s Eve, Foreign Currency services supplier Travelex was hit by a Sodinokibi (REvil) Ransomware attack. It has yet to recover and its web sites ...

[New Ransomware Threat] Now Cyber Criminals Demand Ransom From The PATIENTS After A Plastic Surgery Clinic Data Breach

Jan 13, 2020 5:10:02 PM By Stu Sjouwerman

Just when you thought it could not get any worse... it did. Criminal hackers are now demanding that all the patients of Florida provider Richard Davis, MD pay a ransom to prevent the ...

Auto Dealership Becomes Latest Victim of Ransomware Attack Costing Up to $500,000

Jan 13, 2020 9:57:23 AM By Stu Sjouwerman

The opening of a seemingly benign email from a coworker by an unsuspecting employee set in motion an attack that brought operations to a halt and resulted in some costly remediation. The ...

REvil Ransomware: "Pay Us One Way Or The Other!"

Jan 10, 2020 12:36:42 PM By Stu Sjouwerman

The Wall Street Journal and Bleeping Computer reported that Travelex, a foreign-currency exchange company, was hit by the ReVil/Sodinokibi actors on New Year's Eve and that its network ...

The Top 5 Eyeopener Strategies To Improve Your IT Defenses And Keep Bad Guys Out Of Your Network

Jan 9, 2020 4:16:06 PM By Roger Grimes

Last year, in 2019 according to CVEdetails, there were 12,174 new, publicly announced vulnerabilities. If that sounds like a high number, it’s a lot less than the previous two years. We ...

Encryption Isn’t Your Only Ransomware Problem - There Are Some Other Nasty Issues

Jan 7, 2020 12:05:54 PM By Roger Grimes

Ransomware has become one of the most dreaded problems in the cyber world and it’s only getting worse. Much worse!

Ransomware Attacks Step Up their Game and Now Look for NAS Devices

Jan 7, 2020 8:42:09 AM By Stu Sjouwerman

It used to be that ransomware just looked for office files. Then backups became a secondary victim. New data from Kaspersky shows NAS devices are being added as targets.

More Fake Windows 10 Updates Spell Hefty Ransoms for Victims

Jan 3, 2020 7:00:00 AM By Stu Sjouwerman

With Windows 7 ending support this month, organizations moving to or already on Windows 10 need to be wary of “update” phishing scams intent on installing ransomware.

Cities and Governments are the Latest Target in a New “Leakware” Attack

Jan 3, 2020 7:00:00 AM By Stu Sjouwerman

This new type of attack focuses on threatening to steal and publish data on the web, asking for a ransom to be paid to keep the attackers from doing so.

FBI Warns U.S. Companies About Maze Ransomware

Jan 2, 2020 4:13:36 PM By Stu Sjouwerman

The FBI is warning U.S. companies about a series of recent ransomware attacks in which the perpetrator, sometimes posing as a government agency, steals data and then encrypts it to ...

4 patients sue Alabama health system after ransomware attack

Dec 31, 2019 1:15:50 PM By Stu Sjouwerman

BeckerHospitalReview just posted a new wrinkle in the battle against ransomware: "Four patients filed a class action lawsuit against Tuscaloosa, Ala.-based DCH Health System, alleging ...

The Good, the Better, and the Best in Information Security

Dec 31, 2019 12:16:27 PM By James McQuiggan

Every day, there is news about the latest data breaches, phishing attacks, the number of records that were exposed, how organizations are not doing enough to protect themselves. All of ...

Major Dutch University Still Fighting Ransomware Downtime; Expert Says Russian Hacker Group Responsible

Dec 30, 2019 10:53:39 AM By Stu Sjouwerman

Major Dutch Maastricht University was still trying to recover from a crippling cyber attack nearly a week after the university's computer systems were infected by ransomware. New ...

Phishing in a Port

Dec 30, 2019 10:49:03 AM By Stu Sjouwerman

Among the ransomware that caused so much disruption in the latter half of 2019 was the strain known as Ryuk, and Ryuk has typically been spread by phishing. According to ZDNet, a recent ...

[Heads-up] Ransomware attack forces Arkansas CEO to fire 300 employees days before Christmas

Dec 27, 2019 11:29:56 AM By Stu Sjouwerman

The chief executive officer of a telemarketing company in Sherwood, Arkansas has let go 300 employees after the company failed to recover from a ransomware infection a few months back.

FBI Issues Alert For "Sleeper" LockerGoga and MegaCortex Ransomware

Dec 26, 2019 2:37:28 PM By Stu Sjouwerman

The FBI has issued a warning to private industry recipients to provide information and guidance on the LockerGoga and MegaCortex Ransomware.

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