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.
MGM wins big bet that days of operations outages is better business than paying a ransom, following last month's data breach.
Cloud computing provider Blackbaud reached a $49.5 million agreement with attorneys general from 49 U.S. states to settle a multi-state investigation of a May 2020 ransomware attack and the resulting data breach. [...]
MGM Resorts reveals that last month's cyberattack cost the company $100 million and allowed the hackers to steal customers' personal information. [...]
MGM Resorts reveals that last month's cyberattack cost the company $100 million and allowed the hackers to steal customers' personal information. [...]
Ransomware spokesperson scoffs at IT reseller's offer of payment CDW, one of the largest resellers on the planet, will have its data leaked by LockBit after negotiations over the ransom fee broke down, a spokesperson for the cybercrime gang says.…
Stay immutable in the face of cyber crime adversity, says Object First Sponsored Feature Most of us dislike cyber criminals, but not many of us dislike them quite as much as Anthony Cusimano.…
Cisco Talos found new evidence that Qakbot-affiliated actors were still distributing ransomware despite the August FBI takedown of the threat group
A literal seven-nation (cyber) army wasn't enough to hold back the famous initial access broker (IAB) for long — it's been chugging along, spreading ransomware, despite a massive takedown in August.
Despite the disruption to its infrastructure, the threat actors behind the QakBot malware have been linked to an ongoing phishing campaign since early August 2023 that led to the delivery of Ransom Knight (aka Cyclops) ransomware and Remcos RAT
Rising number of RaaS baddies drive global attack numbers up 200% Microsoft research says that 80-90 percent of ransomware attacks over the past year originated from unmanaged devices.…
A new Secureworks report finds that 2023 is on course to be the biggest year on record for victim naming on ‘name and shame’ sites
Data leakers become data leakees The Lorenz ransomware group leaked the details of every person who contacted it via its online contact form over the course of the last two years.…
Combining robust decryption and orchestration of encrypted traffic with threat prevention is crucial to staying ahead of attackers.
Plus: Philippine state health insurance knocked offline by ransomware, China relaxes data export laws, and more Asia in brief Zhu Su, co-founder of fallen crypto business Three Arrows Capital (3AC), was arrested last Friday at Changi Airport in Singapore as he attempted to leave the country.…
Better late than never, we guess An urgent ransomware warning from the Feds has some industry analysts scratching their heads and wondering if Uncle Sam's noggin has been buried in the sand for too long.…
Once they compromise an victim with an initial ransomware attack, threat actors are ready to deploy a secondary attack with a different strain, which could leave even more damage.
Ransomware gangs are now targeting a recently patched critical vulnerability in JetBrains' TeamCity continuous integration and deployment server. [...]
Hackers are deploying different ransomware variants, including AvosLocker and Hive, among others
The Motel One Group has announced that it has been targeted by ransomware actors who managed to steal some customer data, including the details of 150 credit cards. [...]
A recent survey conducted by Integrity 360 shows that data theft has overtaken ransomware as a top concern for some IT decision makers