What is Ransomware
Ransomware is a form of cybercrime that poses a great danger to your company. In this blog we dive deeper into ransomware.
Ransomware is a form of malware that tries to encrypt files on computer systems. After computer systems are infected by ransomware, a ransom is demanded in the form of cryptocurrency. The organization can proceed with payment and thereby receive a so-called 'decryption key'. With the decryption key, files can be decrypted. However, paying the hackers is no guarantee that you'll actually get everything back. Ransomware is therefore a form of hacking that can cause a lot of damage. This is one of the most common cyber threats for organizations.
How is ransomware installed?
Ransomware can be installed in countless ways. Think of deceptive links sent in the form of a text message, a Facebook chat, or an email. Once a hacker has gotten inside an organization, they try to infect as many computers as possible and encrypt files. The higher goal is often to infect backup systems so the organization actually loses everything. From this point, the organization is forced to make quick decisions, something hackers exploit.
Pay or not?
It is recommended not to pay. Of course, this is easier said than done. Losing all your files and possibly company information can obviously become enormously costly, and companies sometimes have no other option than to proceed with payment. Between January and February 2021, 32% of all organizations worldwide paid a ransom in order to get the decryption key from the hackers. This obviously keeps the criminals busy spreading malware, but unfortunately companies don't always have another choice. If you don't want to proceed with payment, there's a chance you'll end up on one of these kinds of websites with your sensitive company information.
According to this article published by NOS, there's a massive increase happening in the number of ransomware attacks. The question is not whether you'll become a victim in terms of your cybersecurity, but when?
Ransomware Clop Leaks Tor.
Mediamarkt Ransomware attack
A concrete example happened in the past at Mediamarkt. The hacker group Hive was behind this attack, and demanded 43 million euros. It's not certain whether payment was made. If we look at the ransomware .onion site of the ransomware group HIVE, we see that no files have been posted on the website, and we can conclude that payment was made.
In the FREE online Cyber Security handbook you can read all about the MediaMarkt hack, and we reveal more about this event.
Ransomware TOR website of HIVE
Do you want your organization to avoid becoming a victim of a cybercriminal? At Tozetta we help increase your cybersecurity. Tozetta is an organization driven by experienced (ethical) hackers, which allows us to support you in preventing a ransomware attack!
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