MountLocker Ransomware Provides a Glimpse into What’s Next in Ransomware-as-a-Service

This family of ransomware is growing in popularity with affiliates, providing them with two attack variants and appears to be establishing a new “as-a-service” business model.

The Cost of Ransoms Demanded and Paid Double in 2020!

According to new data from UK cyber insurer Beazley shows ransomware claims have increased materially and calls for organizations to employ a layered cyber defense.

Data Breaches Are Expected to Decline While Ransomware and BEC Gain Steam

A new report from the Identity Theft Research Center discusses which cybersecurity attacks will be most impactful next year as part of the ITRC’s 2021 predictions.

Who’s on the Phone? It’s the Ransomware Guys “Encouraging” You to Pay the Ransom!

Since August of this year, some ransomware attacks are being followed up by phone calls to increase pressure, promote the attack internally, and increase the chances of getting paid.

Ransomware Gangs Are Now Cold-Calling Victims If They Restore From Backups Without Paying

Catalin Cimpanu at ZDNet reported on another evil escalation in ransomware extortion tactics. In attempts to put pressure on victims, some ransomware gangs are now cold-calling victims on ...

Maze Ransomware Group Retires (Retires!), Leaving a Gap in the Ransomware Marketplace

The news last month of the “retirement” of Maze should be a warning to organizations wondering what ransomware will come next and how much worse will it be.

Average Ransomware Payment Significantly Increases Risk

The average ransomware payout has increased by 178% over the past year, according to researchers at Atlas VPN. In Q4 2019, the payments averaged $84,000. By Q3 2020, the average payment ...

Egregor Ransomware Finds a New Way to Inform You That You’re a Victim of Cyberattack: Printers

Unlike the traditional methods of notifying victim organizations by simply taking over a computer or providing a “readme” text file, this new method has some devilish benefits.

Credential-Stealing VPN Exploits

A hacker has published an exploit for a critical vulnerability in Fortinet VPN devices, along with a list of 49,577 vulnerable devices, BleepingComputer reports. Fortinet released a patch ...

FireEye Predicts Ransomware Will Evolve and Expand in 2021

A new forward-looking report from security vendor FireEye Mandiant predicts the greatest single cyber threat today is only going to become a greater menace next year.