Blog courtesy of KnowBe4
Written by Stu Sjouwerman
Researchers at Coveware recently analysed ransomware attacks during Q2 of this year and noticed a similar trend in ransomware attack methods by cybercriminals. These are the two ransomware attack methods that are gaining popularity by ransomware gangs:
- Email Phishing Attacks - The most common form of a cyberattack. Cybercriminals are including a malicious attachment in the phishing emails that contain ransomware. Coveware reported that this method has been prevalent in 42% of known ransomware attacks.
- Brute Force Attacks - This type of attack specifically focuses on remote desktop protocol services (RDP). They brute force weak or default usernames and passwords to gain access. This type of attack is also accounting for 42% of known ransomware attacks.
Cybercriminals gravitate to these methods because they are low-cost to carry out while also being effective. They're also very simple to execute and, if successful, can open doors to your whole network.
Ransomware groups have only gotten stronger with REvil being responsible for the infamous Kaseya hack and Conti against the Irish healthcare system. There are new ransomware groups that will come through the shadows in the near future and will be even more powerful than these well-known ransomware groups.
To help protect your organisation's network you can take additional security measures such as multi-factor authentication, frequent software updates and patches, and most importantly, implement new-school security awareness training. Your users are the essential layer of protection to stop malicious attacks from ever occurring!
ZDNet has the full story.
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