July 17, 2024 at 11:10AM Ransomware attack costs on critical national infrastructure organizations surged this year, as Sophos reports a median ransom payment spike to $2.54M, 41 times higher than last year. Costs to recover also rose significantly, with IT sectors reporting the lowest average payment of $330,000, and education and federal government recording the … Read more
May 3, 2024 at 02:13PM Ukrainian national Yaroslav Vasinskyi, a member of the REvil ransomware group, has been sentenced to more than 13 years in prison after pleading guilty to 11 charges, including fraud, money laundering conspiracy, and damage to protected computers. He was involved in thousands of ransomware attacks, demanding over $700 million in … Read more
April 19, 2024 at 08:04AM Akira ransomware has victimized over 250 organizations globally, collecting $42 million in ransom payments. Initially targeting Windows systems, it has expanded to infect VMware ESXi virtual machines. Through various tactics like targeting VPN services and known vulnerabilities in Cisco products, the operators gain access to victims’ environments. They then deploy … Read more
April 8, 2024 at 07:33AM In 2023, ransomware attacks increased by 55.5%, totaling 5,070 victims. However, Q1 2024 saw a 22% decrease compared to Q4 2023. Law enforcement’s actions against LockBit and ALPHV, as well as the decrease in ransom payments, could be contributing factors. Despite the decrease, new ransomware groups emerged in Q1 2024. … Read more
March 28, 2024 at 09:38AM New cyber incident reporting rules for critical infrastructure closer to implementation after President Biden signed CIRCIA into law in March 2022. Organizations must report substantial cyber incidents within 72 hours, including ransom payments within 24 hours. The rule faces pushback from industry due to added compliance strain on resources, according … Read more
January 8, 2024 at 01:29PM Threat actors are targeting medical institutions through “swatting,” a form of pressure tactic involving fake bomb threats to force hospitals to pay ransom demands. Intrusions at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center and Integris Health illustrate the escalation in cyber-extortion tactics. It remains to be seen whether these measures will yield ransom … Read more
January 3, 2024 at 03:37AM Emsisoft advocates for a total ban on ransom payments following a surge in ransomware attacks on US organizations, costing nearly $1.5 million each on average to rectify. It pointed to record-breaking attacks in 2023, including those on hospitals, schools, and government bodies. The report also highlights concerns about the need … Read more