Security | Threat Detection | Cyberattacks | DevSecOps | Compliance

Cybercriminal extortionists have adopted a new tactic to apply even more pressure on their corporate victims: contacting the victims’ customers, and asking them to demand a ransom is paid to protect their own privacy. At the end of March, Bleeping Computer reported that the Clop ransomware gang had not stopped at threatening hacked companies and contacting journalists, but had taken the additional step of direct emailing victims’ customers whose details had been found in stolen data.

Hot on the heels of 'Dearcry'[1], yet another ransomware threat has been observed as targeting Microsoft Exchange servers vulnerable to recently reported critical vulnerabilities[2]. Dubbed 'Black KingDom', this ransomware threat has reportedly been deployed through a web-shell that is installed on vulnerable Microsoft Exchange servers following the exploitation of the vulnerability chain that results in both remote code execution (RCE) and elevated privileges.

Organisations hit by ransomware attacks are finding themselves paying out more than ever before, according to a new report from Palo Alto Networks. The Unit 42 threat intelligence team at Palo Alto Networks teamed up with the incident response team at Crypsis to produce their latest threat report which looks at the latest trends in ransomware, and compares payment trends to previous years.

While freeware does not have monetary cost, it may come at a price. There may be limitations to freeware such as infrequent updates, limited support and hidden malicious software. Some freeware programs may have added software packages that can include malicious software such as trojans, spyware, or adware. It’s important to have additional layers of defense to provide that your environment is protected.

A popular Android app Barcode Scanner was recently found to be infected with adware. After an update in late 2020, it started pushing advertising to users without warning. The QR code scanning app has been on the Google Play Store for years with over 10 million downloads and a high rating from users. So what happened? This actually happens pretty often.

Due in large part to COVID-19 and the increased prevalence of remote work, ransomware attacks dominated 2020, and experts predict there will be at least twice as many cases of data theft in the new year. The U.S.

First, what is ransomware? Ransomware is a form of malware that encrypts files on the victim’s machine and demands a ransom for restoring access to the files. The instructions on how to pay the ransom are put in a ransom note.

It’s often said that coders can make or mar the internet. They make the internet by creating great apps, websites, software etc, and can also mar the internet through malicious programs like viruses. Computer viruses are one of the most discussed topics by regular computer users. You must have found yourself discussing this topic one way or the other. However, many don’t know the details about computer viruses.

Following high profile headlines of critical vulnerabilities affecting Microsoft Exchange servers, as detailed in our previous blog/bulletin[1], proof-of-concept exploits have become publicly available and appear to have been utilized by a financially-motivated threat actor in the seemingly manual deployment of a new ransomware threat dubbed 'Dearcry'.

Not even seven days after its public release, the American Rescue Plan Act has already been exploited by cybercriminals. This is the latest example of using a relief measure as bait for phishing or malware delivery.