A Comprehensive Ransomware Guide – Keeping your Data Safe from Cybercriminals

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What is ransomware?

Ransomware is a dangerous type of malicious software, or malware, that encrypts a victim’s data and files, and blocks access until a ransom is paid. The systems are locked and the data in them are deleted, stolen, or even encrypted. Ransomware criminals have varied approaches to stealing the data and leaking it, in case the victim denies paying the ransom.

It is predicted that by 2031, businesses and organizations will suffer a new ransomware attack once every two seconds.

Today, we have 75% of the population, and around 6 billion people use the internet. By 2030, 90% of the people, around 7.5 billion people will be using the internet for various transactions. We need to scale up our cybersecurity game against ransomware attacks!

And if we fail to do so, by 2025, we will have 200 zettabytes of data on stake!

Most common Ransomware vectors through which organizations are attacked are basically through poor cybersecurity posture. The vectors are either human-based or machine-based.

• Phishing email campaigns
• Compromised credentials
• Lack of authentication protocols
• Use of legacy software or systems
• RDP vulnerabilities (Remote Desktop Protocol)
• Software Vulnerabilities from poor patching
• Outdated cyber defenses, poor recovery routine, low backup

These gaps act as a great opportunity for attackers and cybercriminals to make the most of these loopholes.

Types of Ransomwares

1. Locker Ransomware –

This Ransomware variant completely blocks access to your systems. To infiltrate the systems, cybercriminals use compromised credentials.

2. Crypto ransomware –

Cryptolocker or Crypto ransomware is the most common and widely prevalent type of ransomware that encrypts all or some confidential files on a system. They demand a ransom from the victim to provide them with a decryption key. Typically, this type of ransomware makes its way into the systems through phishing emails and spam downloads. This is why email authentication is so important for businesses.

3. Double extortion ransomware –

In this type of ransomware, the files and data are encrypted by the attacker demanding for paying the ransom. However, with double extortion ransomware, even after paying the ransom, there is no guarantee that the data is completely protected as the attacker might still have access to it and have power over the stolen data.

4. Ransomware as a Service (RaaS) –

Just like the SaaS tools, in this type of ransomware, the criminals host their ransomware on some unauthorized websites and sell it to other attackers as a pay-for-use service or as a subscription. The charges depend on the complexity and the features of the Ransomware, and there’s usually a membership fee too. Once these members infect the computers or the systems and collect the ransom, they share a percentage of it with the primary RaaS creator based on their mutual conditions.

5. Scareware –

They use social engineering to display fake alerts or pop-up messages forcing and warning the user to pay the ransom. This is made possible through a fake advertisement that intends to make you click on the link and thereby infect your systems.

6. Mobile ransomware –

This type of ransomware targets mobile device users and urges them to pay the ransom for retrieving access. All the files and the data in the device will be locked/ blocked and it will be made accessible only after you pay the ransom.

Now that you know about the types of Ransomwares, let’s scan through deeper and know more about these threat actors.

Ransomware arena and the real players!

To understand this increasingly malicious attack with more details, it is equally important to get clarity on the Ransomware sphere and be aware of the perpetrators.

How does Ransomware work?

Do you know how it works and what exactly happens behind the screens? It is important to know how attackers gain access to your systems and networks in the first place. Only then you’d be able to prevent future attacks and fill the gaps if any.

ACCESS – The attackers get access to your network or into your systems in different ways. Although they have multiple infection vectors like compromised servers/websites, firewalls, and social engineering, the most commonly preferred is ransomware through phishing emails. They send you a malicious email, persuade you to download a file as an attachment, or make you click the link to take control and plant the malicious software in your systems.

ACTIVATION – Once the ransomware gets access to your data or the system, it starts encrypting your files. The malicious software is activated in your system, blocking your access and locking the data completely with an encrypted key. They may also delete the files, or make duplicates to make decryption impossible without the decryption key.

RANSOM DEMAND – When the attackers infect your system, they’d start proposing demands and also tell you how to make the payment and how much to be paid too. However, the payment is demanded through an anonymous web page. Usually, ransomware attackers demand cryptocurrency to evade identification revealing. This is done in exchange for the encryption key.

Our Ransomware defense cycle is divided into Pre-incident, Per-incident, and Post-incident. Whether you are preparing to prevent an attack, encountered an attack, or want a post-incident response plan, we are here to help you at all times.

Here’s what we at Zeb do!

If you want to strengthen your organization’s security posture, prevent from the ransomware attack, our MSSP package (Managed Security Service Provider) will do everything for you.

Best practices to prevent ransomware

To protect your organization from ransomware, here are some of the preventive measures you should take.

• Have backups for all your data and do this more frequently. Having object lock with immutable backups will give you tight security for your data and you can restore them when needed without any business interruptions.
• Make an offline backup to refrain the attack from infecting the files in this storage.
• Patch early and patch often. Never let any loose gap open.
• Install the latest and the most updated security applications in your systems
• Practice cyber hygiene and ensure your team also stays vigilant always.
• Deploy security software that will protect your systems, networks, and all the endpoints.
• Segregate and keep your critical systems separately. This is just to keep all your crucial data isolated in case of an attack.
• Enable multi-layer authentication with strong passwords for all your cloud accounts
• Restrict permissions and grant access only when needed.
• Follow the best governance policies and set clear rules.

Okay! So now you have taken all the preventive measures to protect your systems and your data. You have installed all the anti-virus and security protection software and there is no space for the attackers.

And you still encounter a ransomware attack?

Apparently, it must be through the smallest gap that slipped off while assessing. Although you have been on the right track in preventing yourself, you must’ve missed the update and left a small room for the threat actors making it vulnerable. Cybercriminals take advantage of these scenarios and make the most of it. So, how do you respond to these attacks?

Responding to a ransomware attack

• Disconnect the affected systems from the network immediately.
• Back up all your important data and files to an external storage device
• Contact your IT department or the cybersecurity expert to assess the situation.
• Do not immediately pay the ransom and wait until the experts suggest paying.
• Scan your system and identify malware using an anti-malware software
• Change the passwords and tighten the security posture.

These are just the immediate aid that you can do for your organization at times of the attacks. However, the challenges posed by ransomware are significant and require help from cybersecurity experts.

The True Cost of Ransomware

In the first half of 2022 there were 236.1 million ransomware attacks globally with the United States being the topmost affected country!

Ransomware attacks have become increasingly prevalent, and the ransom amount demanded by hackers varies depending on the complexity and size of the targeted organization. However, the impact of such attacks on businesses goes far beyond the monetary cost, including the loss of critical data, damage to reputation, and prolonged downtime, which can have a devastating effect on the organization and its stakeholders.

The negative consequences of such an attack can be incredibly disruptive and destructive not only for the targeted company but for all those associated with it. It is crucial for organizations to have robust cybersecurity measures in place to prevent such incidents from occurring, as the costs of a ransomware attack are far beyond the ransom amount demanded.

Protecting your business from Ransomware

“An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure!”

Ransomware attacks show no signs of slowing down, and it is crucial for organizations to strengthen their security postures instead of paying ransoms. Despite this, more than 50% of organizations and IT professionals are unprepared for such attacks. Businesses of all sizes and industries must be ready to face this threat as Ransomware attacks are expected to increase in the future.

Ransomware Readiness Assessment is now the most crucial step to define the security policies and establish a strong security posture in the organizations

The final word!

Ransomware is a serious threat that can cause havoc if not addressed immediately.

From End-point protection to network security protection, we provide you with comprehensive and robust security measures across multiple vectors, so you can be more resilient and respond to data breaches discreetly.

We, at Zeb, assess your IT landscape thoroughly and identify all the vulnerabilities without missing any potential risks. And in case of an attack, we respond to the most sophisticated attack immediately, implement comprehensive security measures with strong encryption to prevent your organization from future attacks, and monitor the networks for any suspicious activity.