Three Lessons from a Recent MegaCortex Ransomware Phishing Attack

Aug 12, 2019 6:55:16 AM By Stu Sjouwerman

The MegaCortex strain of ransomware has been used in criminal campaigns targeting businesses as opposed to private individuals. The QuickBooks cloud-hosting firm iNSYNQ, has sustained ...

Varieties of Extortion Experience

Aug 10, 2019 11:26:07 AM By Stu Sjouwerman

We are all familiar with ransomware and its increasingly dangerous cousin, wiper malware. The first encrypts your files and demands ransom payments in exchange for the decryption key. The ...

GermanWiper Ransomware Hits Germany Hard, Destroys Files But Asks For A Ransom

Aug 2, 2019 6:35:55 PM By Stu Sjouwerman

For the past week, a new ransomware strain has been wreaking havoc across Germany. Named GermanWiper, this ransomware doesn't encrypt files but instead it rewrites their content with ...

New Ransomware Strain Spreads Via SMS

Jul 30, 2019 6:11:55 AM By Stu Sjouwerman

A new Android ransomware strain was discovered by ESET researchers. It uses the victim's contact list to spread further using SMS messages that have malicious links.

Two Puerto Rico Hospitals Hit With Ransomware That Encrypts 520,000 Patient Records

Jul 29, 2019 7:30:34 AM By Stu Sjouwerman

The two hospitals were hit by ransomware infections and are one of the largest data breaches reported by the U.S. Department of Health. This particular incident encrypted all kinds of ...

Here Is Some Great InfoSec Budget Ammo From UBS

Jul 27, 2019 7:19:40 AM By Stu Sjouwerman

A KnowBe4 employee forwarded this PDF to me. There is a very interesting point in here: your cybersecurity practices affect the valuation of your company. That should get the attention of ...

This Year, Phishing Causes Losses of $17,700 per minute And Ransomware Attacks Will Cost $22,184 Per Minute

Jul 25, 2019 10:37:42 AM By Stu Sjouwerman

Global losses to cybercrime total $1.5 trillion per year, which amounts to $2.9 million per minute, a new report by RiskIQ shows. Some of the largest companies are losing $25 each minute ...

Ransomware Attacks Costs Nearly Triple in 2019 to over $36K Per Attack

Jul 24, 2019 4:40:39 PM By Stu Sjouwerman

The latest data from ransomware recovery vendor, Coveware, outlines the current state of the cost, duration, and recovery rate of ransomware attacks today.

Is ‘REvil’ the New GandCrab Ransomware?

Jul 15, 2019 3:20:04 PM By Stu Sjouwerman

Brian Krebs wrote: "The cybercriminals behind the GandCrab ransomware-as-a-service (RaaS) offering recently announced they were closing up shop and retiring after having allegedly earned ...

[Heads-up] New eCh0raix Ransomware Strain Targets NAS Devices

Jul 12, 2019 9:58:00 AM By Stu Sjouwerman

ITPro Today reported: "The eCh0raix ransomware uses a brute-force credential attack to gain access to data stored in QNAP NAS devices.

Pay or Not Pay the Ransom? What’s Your Opinion?

Jul 11, 2019 4:51:24 PM By Stu Sjouwerman

The debate over whether to pay or not to pay the ransom once your system is encrypted is heating up. Yesterday, the US Conference of Mayors approved a resolution coming down in favor of ...

Effects of Ransomware Don’t End With the Ransom

Jul 11, 2019 4:36:46 PM By Stu Sjouwerman

A Florida city is still struggling to recover from a ransomware attack two weeks after the city paid the ransom, according to the New York Times. The attack began after a city employee ...

Brand-New Ransomware Simulator Tool Now with Two New Ransomware Scenarios

Jul 11, 2019 7:44:54 AM By Stu Sjouwerman

The bad guys are continuing to evolve their approach to evading detection. That’s why we’ve updated our Ransomware Simulation tool “RanSim” to include two new ransomware scenarios! These ...

Globally, One-Third of Organizations Experience Ransomware Attacks Weekly

Jul 3, 2019 10:44:18 AM By Stu Sjouwerman

The latest data from Australian telecommunications provider Telstra shows ransomware is running rampant, with security breaches not far behind in frequency.

Which Of The Four Types of Social Engineering Is The Most Damaging?

Jun 27, 2019 11:38:43 AM By Stu Sjouwerman

Cybercriminals know that targeted social engineering attacks lead to the highest payoffs, so the frequency and sophistication of these attacks is guaranteed to increase, writes Jasmine ...

UK Forensic Crime Labs Shut Down Due To Ransomware Attack

Jun 22, 2019 10:48:19 AM By Stu Sjouwerman

Every police force across England and Wales has been forced to prioritize evidence for forensic testing following a criminal cyber attack affecting one of the primary forensic service ...

Maryland governor signs order to boost cybersecurity after Baltimore ransomware attack

Jun 20, 2019 10:34:50 AM By Stu Sjouwerman

The Hill reported: "Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan (R) on Tuesday signed an executive order aimed at strengthening the state’s cybersecurity capabilities, a month after a debilitating ...

Hit by Ransomware Attack, Florida City Agrees to Pay Hackers $600,000

Jun 20, 2019 6:36:50 AM By Stu Sjouwerman

It was all over the press, and even made it in the New York Times: "The leaders of Riviera Beach, Fla., looking weary, met quietly this week for an extraordinary vote to pay nearly ...

Ransomware Halts Production For Days At Major Airplane Parts Manufacturer

Jun 15, 2019 10:55:06 AM By Stu Sjouwerman

As a result of having IT systems crippled by the ransomware infection, the company has sent home approximately 1,000 of its 1,400 workers on paid leave.

[Heads-Up] How Hackers Use Ransomware To Hide Data Breaches And Other Devastating Attacks

Jun 10, 2019 6:15:55 AM By Stu Sjouwerman

Different sources claim that ransomware attacks are either going up or going down. The very real threat remains though and it is clear that the bad guys are moving from consumers as their ...

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