Warning! Windows 10 Fake Update is Actually Ransomware
Microsoft never sends updates via email. Many folks don’t know that, which is why a new ransomware campaign masquerading as a Windows 10 update is so pernicious. You may have already gotten a fake notice saying “Install Latest Microsoft Update Now!” Or “Critical Microsoft Windows Update!”, with the body of the message asking you to…
Attackers continue to leverage greater levels of social engineering and sophistication
Despite a nearly four-month absence, the return of Emotet within the last two weeks of September accounted for nearly 12 percent of all malicious email samples in Q3, delivering millions of messages with malicious URLs or attachments, Proofpoint found. Emotet returns, organizations need to react “Emotet’s return to the threat landscape and the latest sextortion…
Believe the hype, but control the threat: Reducing the risk of ransomware
Ransomware is becoming an epidemic for any collection or repository of data. Each day the attacks seem to be getting larger and more lucrative for cybercriminals. According to Europol’s annual report, the Internet Organised Crime Threat Assessment (IOCTA), file-encrypting malware attacks could become far more destructive as cybercriminals change their tactics. The IOCTA lists ransomware…
Cybercrime is maturing, shifting its focus to larger and more profitable targets
Cybercrime is continuing to mature and becoming more and more bold, shifting its focus to larger and more profitable targets as well as new technologies. Data is the key element in cybercrime, both from a crime and an investigate perspective. These key threats demonstrate the complexity of countering cybercrime and highlight that criminals only innovate…
Educational organizations massively vulnerable to cyber attacks
The education sector is facing a crisis as schools grapple with high levels of risk exposure – driven in large part by complex IT environments and digitally savvy student populations – that have made them a prime target for cybercriminals and ransomware attackers, according to Absolute. The summer months of 2019 saw the number of…
6 biggest healthcare security threats for 2020
Consumers are more worried now about their protected health information (PHI) being compromised, thanks to high-profile breaches like Anthem and Allscripts. The recent RSA Data Privacy Report surveyed 7,500 consumers in Europe and the US. It showed that 59 percent of the respondents were concerned about their medical data being compromised. Thirty-nine percent were worried…
Attackers Hit Ceiling in Ransomware Demands
Cyber extortionists’ ransom demands have surged in recent years, as ransomware cotinues to cripple the operations of manufacturers, hospitals, and — most recently — local governments. Yet those demands may have hit an upper limit. On September 4, Mayor Jon Mitchell of New Bedford, Mass., announced that the town refused to pay a $5.3 million…
Ransomware attacks hit 1 in 5 Americans
Anomali announced the results of a survey conducted by The Harris Poll. It includes responses from more than 2,000 American adults and reveals how Americans believe business and government organizations should respond to ransomware attacks as well as their opinions on cybersecurity in general. This survey suggests that Americans believe government and businesses alike should…
More than 2 million cyber incidents in 2018 created $45 billion in losses
The financial impact of ransomware rose by 60%, losses from business email compromise (BEC) doubled, and cryptojacking incidents more than tripled, all despite the fact that overall breaches and exposed records were down in 2018, according to Internet Society’s Online Trust Alliance (OTA). The data shows that cybercriminals are getting better at monetizing their activities,…
Anatomy of a ransomware attack: How attackers gain access to unstructured data
Ransomware isn’t a new phenomenon, but it’s effects are starting to be felt more widely, and more deeply than ever before. Behemoths like Sony, Nissan, FedEx, Kraft Foods and Deutsche Bank have all been hit in recent years, and the list is growing. The ongoing saga of the ransomware attack in Baltimore, MD has left…