Number of ransomware attacks grew by more than 150%
By the end of 2020, the ransomware market, fueled by the pandemic turbulence, had turned into the biggest cybercrime money artery. Based on the analysis of more than 500 attacks observed during Group-IB’s own incident response engagements and cyber threat intelligence activity, researchers estimate that the number of ransomware attacks grew by more than 150%…
Inside the Ransomware Economy
From Egregor to Doppelpaymer to Ryuk, it continues to command headlines. Pandemic-fueled phishing scams, the lack of visibility across remote endpoints, and lax attitudes have been a boon for ransomware groups over the last year. Worst of all, ransomware no longer discriminates. It dominates small towns and municipal offices, video game makers, and shamelessly, healthcare…
2021 X-Force Threat Intelligence Index Reveals Peril From Linux Malware, Spoofed Brands and COVID-19 Targeting
From the front lines of incident response engagements to managed security services, IBM Security X-Force observes attack trends firsthand, yielding insights into the cyber threat landscape. Every year, X-Force collates billions of data points to assess cybersecurity threats to our customers. This report — the X-Force Threat Intelligence Index 2021 — represents our latest edition…
Bolstering healthcare IT against growing security threats
As the COVID-19 pandemic unfolds, healthcare organizations are scrambling to ensure the safety and support of patients and staff, while also integrating and learning new technologies to support telehealth practices. The constantly evolving healthcare environment has placed immense financial strain on hospitals and increased pressure on healthcare staff, which has been made worse by the…
Ransomware Took Heavy Toll on US in 2020: Researchers
The study released Monday by the security firm Emsisoft said ransomware attacks — which encrypt and disable computer systems while demanding a ransom — affected 113 federal, state and municipal governments, 560 health facilities and 1,681 schools, colleges and universities last year. “The attacks caused significant, and sometimes life-threatening, disruption: ambulances carrying emergency patients had…
The future history of medical device cybersecurity
In 1555, Nostradamus published his famous Les Prophéties containing obfuscated prophecies for the world to come. Some believe that one of these predictions pertains to the year 2020 and it reads, in part: “The false trumpet concealing madness / will cause Byzantium to change its laws.” Yeah… I have no idea what that means either!…
3 security career lessons from ‘Back to the Future’
The security industry had a terrible year in 2020—some even think the worst ever. You can point to failures in working from home after COVID-19 struck, various election narratives, the SolarWinds breach, foreign nation-state cyberattacks, new ransomware, the global lack of cybertalent, government leader mistakes or a long list of other items. My favorite quote…
A hacker’s predictions on enterprise malware risk
2020 has ended with a stunning display of nation-state cyber capabilities. The Kremlin’s SVR shocked the cybersecurity industry and U.S. government with its intrusions into FireEye and the U.S. Office of the Treasury by way of SolarWinds, revealing only traces of its long-term, sophisticated campaigns. These breaches are reminders that no organization is immune to…
2021 will overburden already stressed infosec teams
The year 2020 has given us a contentious U.S. election, a global economic crisis, and most notably a global pandemic. Disinformation has wreaked havoc in our ability to discern fact from truth, ransomware has been delivering ever more serious consequences, and insider leaks continue to validate privacy concerns despite increased adoption of privacy laws across…
U.S. cybersecurity: Preparing for the challenges of 2021
In 2020, cybersecurity became a business problem for every industry, as well as the U.S. government. According to a new report by the Aspen Cybersecurity Group, there are several opportunities for the new presidential administration to increase cybersecurity efforts and awareness to create a more resilient digital infrastructure. Organizations like the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security…
