During the pandemic last year, we saw cyber crime increase dramatically due to the movement of working from home, as well as the vulnerabilities and fear many people were experiencing. Many cyber crimes are launched during a time of heightened emotion, and a global pandemic was the perfect situation for cybercriminals.
This year, cyber crime, and specifically ransomware, continues to heat up. The pandemic along with remote work, a charged political climate, record prices of cryptocurrency and threat actors weaponizing cloud storage all led to an increase in cyberattacks.
What is Ransomware?
Ransomware is a type of malware that specializes in the encryption of files and drives. In what has become one of the most severe and serious security threats modern businesses now face. Ransomware is used by cyber criminals worldwide to hijack systems and disrupt operations.
Once a victim's system or network has been encrypted, they will be faced with an unreasonable request. Cyber criminals threaten to hold the encrypted data for ransom until payment is made. On average, only 65% of data is recovered after a ransom is paid.
Who are Ransomware Victims?
Recently the sophistication of ransomware hackers has changed the game. Historically, victims could avoid paying ransom if they had redundant backups and restored their systems.
However now attackers are expecting this strategy and will download the data then threaten to publicly release, it unless a payment is met through extortion tactics such as Bitcoin. Bitcoin is a cyber currency that anonymizes transactions which makes recovery more difficult for professionals because there's no way to identify who payment was made to, or how much was paid.
The recent data from the study shows that no single industry is immune to this virus. In every region, across all sectors of business and organizations alike - it has become imperative for companies to implement security measures in order to prevent future damages as a result of ransomware attacks.
Ransomware as a Service (RaaS)
Ransomware as a Service (RaaS) is another recent development that has increased the danger of Ransomware. It has all but eliminated any technical knowledge needed to be successful and dangerous.
No one is immune from the threat of ransomware, so it is best to prepare for an attack by assuming you could be attacked. Make sure your company has multi-layer protections in place and is backing up data regularly. Understanding the threats of ransomware, and educating your employees on different vectors of the attack are also crucial to diverting attempts by cyber criminals.
Fighting Against Ransomware
Recent federal guidelines have expressed the importance of reporting breaches to the correct authorities so recovery and investigation can be coordinated.
The FBI does not support paying a ransom in response to a ransomware attack. Paying a ransom doesn’t guarantee you or your organization will get any data back. It also encourages perpetrators to target more victims and offers an incentive for others to get involved in this type of illegal activity.
If you are a victim of ransomware:
• Contact your local FBI field office to request assistance, or submit a tip online.
• File a report with the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3).
Having a disaster recovery plan in place beforehand is a necessity. You can work with your IT Service Provider to formulate a plan and ensure there are no vulnerabilities in your network.
Types of cybercrime Cybercrime comes in five primary forms.hackingidentity theftvirus dispersalransom softwareillegal data sharingAlthough these types of crime rank in the top five of all crimes committed online, there are a multitude of sub-categories within these five groups.
- e-mail attacks using phishing- password theft- hacking your computer via auto-install software on malware-infected websitesPrimary motivations behind cyber crimeMost online criminals commit digital crimes for the sole purpose of gaining more money.
These best practices should be adhered to as soon as you connect to the internet.
Cyber criminals target all types of technology.That said, the most vulnerable targets are Windows-based computers and Android-based phones or tablets.
Although criminals target Apple products, the danger seems somewhat less immediate because most people love Apple and hate Microsoft.In terms of actual strategies you can adhere to to keep you safe, you should ensure the following.
maintain long passwords of 16 digits or moredo not click email links--everuse virus protectiondo not digitally send anyone moneyuse random passwords for each accountmaintain a watch on your credit report for new or unknown accountsinstall all security patches for your particular operating systembe aware of your social surroundings and of people aiming their phone at youIn terms of your internet connection, one of the most common types of cybercrime involves people hacking your router as a result of poor password practices.
Online scams are prevalent among illegitimate shops, brokers and merchants on the internet today.
It is laden with untrustworthy transactions that seek to victimize those who are vulnerable.
While we guard ourselves against these dangerous tradings, there are times when they cannot be prevented.
Active Refunds has been helping consumers and users online recover what is rightfully theirs after being victimized by trading scams, trade platform scams, and the likes.
To know more visit us: https://activerefunds.org/
