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.
Synnovis has rebuilt “substantial parts” of its systems following the Qilin ransomware attack on June 3, enabling the restoration of core blood supplies to NHS hospitals
Cisco Talos found that ransomware and BEC accounted for 60% of all cyber incidents in Q2 2024, with ransomware rising by 22% compared to Q1
Trend Micro also revealed a connection between the Play ransomware group and the threat actor Prolific Puma
Europol also said that multi-layered extortion tactics in ransomware are becoming more common
Two Russian nationals have pleaded guilty to charges relating to their participation in the LockBit ransomware gang