Ransomware – Stop’em Before They Wreak Havoc

Cybercriminals have been making a run on your data with ransomware attacks over the last decade in increasing frequency. They wreak havoc by bringing critical infrastructures, supply chains, hospitals, and city services to a grinding halt. Cybersecurity Ventures predicts by 2031 ransomware will cost victims $265 billion annually, and it will affect a business, consumer, or device every 2 seconds.

What is Ransomware?

Ransomware is a vicious type of malware that infects your laptop/desktop or server. Cybercriminals use it as a launching pad to block access to business-critical systems by encrypting data in files, databases, or entire computer systems, until the victim pays a ransom. It is a form of cyber extortion. Cybercriminals hold your data hostage by encrypting it, and threaten to destroy it or publish it, unless a large ransom is paid.

Common Infection Vectors

The most common vectors of infecting victims with ransomware are the following.

• Phishing Emails: Cybercriminals send an email containing a malicious file or link, which deploys malware when the recipient unknowingly clicks opens the file attachment or clicks on the link. This results in the malware (binary) to run as a process on the victim’s end user system (endpoint) or server.
• Exploit Software Vulnerabilities: Cybercriminals can take advantage of security weaknesses in widely used software to gain access to a victim’s system and deploy ransomware. Wannacry is one of the most famous ransomware that targeted a vulnerability in Microsoft Windows Servers.
• Remote Desktop Vulnerabilities: Cybercriminals can gain administrative access to an endpoint/server using a Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) service, using a brute-force method trying to guess passwords, or by using stolen credentials purchased on the Dark Web.

Baseline security practices using perimeter controls such as nex

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