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.
ShrinkLocker throws steel and vaccine makers into the hurt locker Updated Yet more ransomware is using Microsoft BitLocker to encrypt corporate files, steal the decryption key, and then extort a payment from victim organizations, according to Kaspersky.…
Mandiant CTO chats to The Reg about the looming fate of this ransomware crew Interview The cyberattacks against Las Vegas casinos over the summer put a big target on the backs of prime suspects Scattered Spider, according to Mandiant CTO Charles Carmakal.…
Why should we get its paperwork? More than 100 medical industry groups have asked the Feds to make UnitedHealth Group, not them, go through the rigmarole of notifying everyone about the Change Healthcare ransomware infection.…
Pharmacy says it's 'unwilling and unable to pay ransom' Canadian pharmacy chain London Drugs has confirmed that ransomware thugs stole some of its corporate files containing employee information and says it is "unwilling and unable to pay ransom to these cybercriminals."…
'Clarification' weighs in on material vs voluntary disclosures The US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) wants to clarify guidelines for public companies regarding the disclosure of ransomware and other cybersecurity incidents.…
Attend this Register live event to learn how Sponsored Survey and Live Event What are the biggest risks to your organization posed by ransomware and what security defenses does it have in place to protect its sensitive data from cyber criminals?…
Rivals ready to swoop in but drop in overall attacks illustrates LockBit’s influence The takedown of LockBit in February is starting to bear fruit for rival gangs with Play overtaking it after an eight-month period of LockBit topping the attack charts.…
Boffins, why not simply invent an algorithm that autonomously fixes flaws, thereby ending ransomware forever The US government's Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H) has pledged more than $50 million to fund the development of technology that aims to automate the process of securing hospital IT environments.…
Fewer rivals on the scene as big-gang success soars The number of new ransomware strains in circulation has more than halved over the past 12 months, suggesting there is little need for innovation given the success of the existing tools used by top gangs.…
It quickly realized ‘dry’ progress updates weren’t cutting it CyberUK Emotional intelligence was at the heart of the British Library's widely hailed response to its October ransomware attack, according to CEO Roly Keating.…