Ransomware encrypts or steals data to disrupt operations and extort victims, making backups, access controls, and incident response essential.
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Background for this topic.
Ransomware is malware used to deny access to systems or data, usually by encrypting files and demanding payment for decryption. Many operations also steal sensitive information and threaten to publish it, so an attack can create both an availability crisis and a privacy or disclosure risk. Initial access may involve phishing, stolen credentials, exposed remote services, or exploitation of unpatched vulnerabilities; attackers may then move through the network before deploying the payload.
Defenses should combine vulnerability management, phishing-resistant authentication where practical, endpoint and network monitoring, and backups that are isolated from routine administrator access and regularly tested for recovery. Organizations should also limit privileges and segment critical systems to reduce the blast radius. An incident requires rapid containment, preservation of forensic evidence, restoration from known-good backups, and assessment of notification, legal, and regulatory obligations. Threat intelligence can help identify relevant criminal infrastructure or tactics, but it does not replace sound access control, patching, detection, and recovery practices.
Ransomware group BlackCat/ALPHV files SEC complaint against its latest victim, putting an audacious new twist on cyber extortion tactics.
The library said that it expects many of its services to be restored in the forthcoming weeks.
Rackspace's 2022 ransomware attack only continue to mount, with lawsuits in the offing — and show the long-tail costs of a cyberattack.
The swift-moving ransomware crew continues to evolve quickly and has already attacked more than 350 victims since it was first detected just over a year ago.
Hunters International appears to have acquired Hive ransomware from its original operators and may be seeking to cash in on the malware's reputation.
Hunters International appears to have acquired Hive ransomware from its original operators and may be seeking to cash in on the malware's reputation.