The new work-from-home culture is gaining more traction than ever before as businesses, government departments and schools try to remain afloat while flattening the pandemic curve. This migration to remote working is a double-edged sword that creates a fertile land for cybercriminals to thrive on. There is no way that cyberattacks can be eliminated completely. The best that companies can do is minimize the frequency of the threats. What is ransomware? Cybercriminals use malicious software code to block people or organizations from accessing their computer systems until a ransom has been paid. Cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin (BTC) have made it …
Microsoft Security Intelligence alerted users to a type of ransomware, called Avaddon, that uses Excel 4.0 macros to distribute malicious emails. These emails contain attachments which deploy an attack when opened in any version of Excel. Avaddon ransomware emerged in early June through a massive spam campaign that randomly targeted its victims. Some patterns seem to indicate that the ransomware mostly targets Italian users. Impersonating Italian officials As BleepingComputer reports, the attackers behind the ransomware are recruiting “affiliates” to spread the payload. According to their analysis, Avaddon’s average ransom amount is around $900, paid in crypto. The attack commonly impersonates …
A study by risk solutions provider, Kroll, identified a growing trend in the use of Qakbot trojan, or Qbot, to launch email thread hijacking campaigns and to deploy ransomware attacks. According to the findings in conjunction with analysts from the National Cyber-Forensics and Training Alliance, or NCFTA, cybercriminals seek to steal financial data from multiple industries like media, education, and academia. However, the COVID-19 pandemic has helped the attacks target the healthcare sector as well. The trojan is reportedly being used as a “point of entry” by the operators behind the ProLock ransomware gang. The report suggests that victims are …
The FDA-approved Coronavirus ventilator manufacturer Boyce Technologies has been targeted by ransomware launched by the DoppelPaymer gang, who are threatening to leak data from the company. Cointelegraph has viewed the DoppelPaymer blog, where the gang lists example files of the data stolen during the attack, including sales and purchase orders, assignment forms, among others. The cybercriminals have threatened that more information will be disclosed next week through the site if an undisclosed crypto ransom is not paid by the firm. Boyce Technologies is well-known for its work in designing and manufacturing FDA-approved low-cost ventilators in just 30 days during the …
A cybersecurity expert explained why he is convinced that the promises made by ransomware groups amid the pandemic are irrelevant. Brett Callow — threat analyst at cybersecurity firm Emsisoft — told Cointelegraph that multiple ransomware groups recently made promises to halt their activity against medical organizations amid the coronavirus pandemic. Still, he believes that those promises are irrelevant: “The claims of a ceasefire made by ransomware groups are irrelevant [and] should be completely disregarded. Would you leave your front door unlocked simply because the local burglars had pinky-promised not to rob you? Probably not. The story of the frog and …