Ransom-related coverage examines extortion demands, data theft, and disruption caused when attackers lock or threaten to expose systems.
Search across headline titles and summaries.
Background for this topic.
Ransomware is malicious software that disrupts access to systems or data, typically by encrypting files, to pressure a victim into paying. Modern campaigns may also steal data and threaten to publish it, making the demand a form of extortion even when encryption is unsuccessful. Common access routes include phishing, exposed remote services, stolen credentials, and unpatched vulnerabilities, though no single route is universal.
Important safeguards include regularly tested, offline or otherwise isolated backups; multifactor authentication and least-privilege access; network segmentation; and timely remediation of known, internet-facing vulnerabilities. During an incident, organizations should isolate affected systems, preserve evidence, identify the scope of compromise, and coordinate recovery and legal or regulatory decisions. Payment does not guarantee data recovery or deletion. Threat intelligence may help identify associated infrastructure or available decryptors, while documented recovery plans reduce dependence on an attacker’s demands.
Ransomware gangs are targeting schools and higher education, with victims facing soaring ransom and recovery costs
Would paying a ransom - or better security - have been cheaper and safer? A US healthcare giant will pay out $65 million to settle a class-action lawsuit brought by its own patients after ransomware crooks stole their data – including their nude photographs – and published at least some of them online.…
Allegedly swiped more than 5.2M files and threatens to publish the lot Ransomware gang Hunters International reportedly claims to have stolen more than 5.2 million files belonging to the London branch of the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC), a Chinese state-owned bank and financial service corporation, and set a deadline of September 13 to release all the data.…
A really big oh sh*t moment, for sure For C-suite execs and security leaders, discovering your organization has been breached, your critical systems locked up and your data stolen, then receiving a ransom demand, is probably the worst day of your professional life.…