Recent ransomware attacks define the malware’s new age
History of ransomware Ransomware, a type of malware that holds data for ransom, has been around for years. In 1991, a biologist spread PC Cyborg, the first ransomware, by sending floppy disks via surface mail to other AIDS researchers, for instance. In the mid ’00s Archiveus was the first ransomware to use encryption, though it’s…
Fileless malware: getting the lowdown on this insidious threat
Traditionally, malware attacks as we have always known them are files written to disk in one form or another that require execution in order to carry out their malicious scope. Fileless malware, on the other hand, is intended to be memory resident only, ideally leaving no trace after its execution. The malicious payload exists dynamically…
SamSam Ransomware: Patient, Persistent, Competent and Dangerous
The SamSam ransomware has always been a bit different. Unlike many ransomware infections, its victims are targeted rather than random — and the attacker establishes a presence on the victim network before beginning the encryption process. Victims this year include the City of Atlanta, Allscripts, Adams Memorial Hospital, Colorado Department of Transportation and the Mississippi…