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.
Malicious Script Targets Users in Mexico, Indonesia, JordanWhy bother building a crypto-locker when Microsoft has perfectly acceptable encryption software preloaded on desktops? Many ransomware hackers agree with that statement - and they're learning to make such attacks even harder to recover from.
A new ransomware strain called ShrinkLocker creates a new boot partition to encrypt corporate systems using Windows BitLocker. [...]
MediSecure confirmed that limited health data of customers was posted onto a dark web forum, with a 6.5TB dataset reportedly put up for sale
Introduction The infamous Colonial pipeline ransomware attack (2021) and SolarWinds supply chain attack (2020) were more than data leaks; they were seismic shifts in cybersecurity. These attacks exposed a critical challenge for Chief Information Security Officers (CISOs): holding their ground while maintaining control over cloud security in the accelerating world of DevOps.
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.…
Ransomware attacks targeting VMware ESXi infrastructure follow an established pattern regardless of the file-encrypting malware deployed, new findings show
National Records of Scotland said sensitive personal data was part of information published online following a ransomware attack on NHS Dumfries and Galloway
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.…
Medical Associations Ask HHS to Clarify HIPAA Duties in Change Healthcare HackMore than 100 medical associations and industry groups representing tens of thousands of U.S. doctors and healthcare professionals have banded together to urge federal regulators to hold Change Healthcare responsible for breach notifications related to a massive February ransomware attack.
Today, the LockBit ransomware gang claimed they were behind the April cyberattack on Canadian pharmacy chain London Drugs and is now threatening to publish stolen data online after allegedly failed negotiations. [...]
The rise in ransomware and AI generated attacks has contributed to accelerate investment into cyber defenses, Infosecurity Europe found in a new study
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.…
The California-based imaging sensors manufacturer OmniVision is warning of a data breach after the company suffered a Cactus ransomware attack last year. [...]
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.…