Ransomware Attack

Overview

Ransomware attack is type of malware that denies valid users or organizations access to their files on a computer system. Besides, it is an attack that encrypts or locks files and demands a ransom payment to release the decryption key. The cybercriminals prepare instructions on how to pay the ransom to get the decryption key through cryptocurrencies such as bitcoin means. A malware manifests itself and its malicious nature through various categories of attack types and techniques. Ransomware is one category of these cyberattacks and ransomware-based business attacks are growing worldwide at an alarming rate.

The ransom payments made by organizations to settle attacks are playing significant role in emboldening attackers even to attack more. However, organizations should have a strategy in place to handle ransomware attacks. Without strategy, organizations will be fearful and pay whatever ransom payments the attackers ask to avoid reputational damages and scandals. This strategy nonetheless will empower the attackers financially and morally to stage further sophisticated attacks. Furthermore, ransomware has already become the go-to malware for cybercriminals to launch sophisticated attacks and generate decent incomes.

In ransomware malware, attackers create code to infiltrate into systems to hijack, encrypt, lock, steal and compromise data. These attacks mainly affect the confidentiality, availability and integrity (CIA) of information systems. In order to avert ransomware attacks, organizations should establish security controls in a defense-in-a-depth manner across their assets.

How Ransomware Works

The way ransomware infects victims is not any different from the other malware categories that affect organizations and individuals. Moreover, ransomware is a type of malware that mainly uses cryptography to commit heinous crimes. If the author uses strong cryptographic algorithms, it will be impossible to reverse the encryption process and regain control of the affected files.

Firstly, the attacker gains access to sensitive individual or organizational data through techniques such as phishing and Trojan horse. Then it generates an encryption key only the ransomware author knows and applies this key to encrypt sensitive and critical files on the target system’s hard drive and any other mounted devices. Besides, the encryption makes the data inaccessible even to the authorized users or anyone else other than the attacker.

The victim will receive bad message on the display stating that the hacker has encrypted all their files and folders. Furthermore, the attacker will notify the victim to pay ransom with ultimatum before their files become permanently inaccessible or destroyed. Additionally, the attacker many send many threatening messages in between that have the potential of causing reputational damage to the victim. This will continue until they receive the money they ask and who knows even after they get what they ask. Because, the cybercriminals have no moral or whatsoever standards they abide by and follow. And they keep threating companies and individuals to pay more ransom even after they receive their initial demand.

Ransomware Distribution Techniques

Cybercriminals create new and varied ways to attack organizations and individuals and hold their data hostage. Ransomware likewise other common malware attacks employs different techniques to sneak into businesses before unleashing its hidden payloads. In other words, ransomware should be distributed first before it infects the target system. Moreover, the most common mechanisms a ransomware propagates from its origin to the target systems include the following:

Email Attachments

Most ransomware attacks propagate through emails that entice the recipient to open a malicious attachment. The attachment may include variety of formats such as ZIP files, PDF, DOCs, and other formats the attacker finds appropriate. Besides, the attackers use different techniques to send these formats including spam, adware, spyware and so on.

Once the victim opens the email attachment, the ransomware will start triggering the malicious code and attack the target system. Moreover, the malware may start deploying its malicious intent and thus infect the target immediately. In other cases, it may stay sometime silently before encrypting the victims’ files. The attackers use different masquerading techniques to convince their victims and deploy the malicious payloads.

Drive-by Downloads

A drive-by download is a type of malware that deploys itself without the user’s knowledge when the user visits websites. This is kind of phishing attack that attackers orchestrate to steal credentials from any potential targets. Moreover, it is an attack that takes advantages of vulnerabilities in web browsers, add-ons, plug-ins or APIs. Additionally, the ransomware authors make use of drive-by downloads via various methods such as hosting malicious content on websites. Furthermore, when users visit the infected websites, the malicious content analyzes the devices the entities use for certain vulnerabilities. If it finds any weaknesses in the devices, it will automatically execute the ransomware attack in the background.

Pirated Software

Another common way ransomware may distribute will be through pirated software, i.e., cracked software whose owner is unknown. There are myriads of counterfeited software products in the industry that users install without even going through simple security hygiene. The cybercriminals exploit these unacceptable behavior of users and inherent vulnerabilities of the pirated products to launch attacks likewise ransomware. Because, these unlicensed software products do not receive official and critical security updates from their creators regularly.

Remote Desktop Protocol

A Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) is another popular attack vector that attackers employ to distribute ransomware and infect victims. Furthermore, an RDP is a protocol that IT administrators use to securely access and configure a user’s machine remotely. Despite its benefits, RDP poses security challenges by availing opportunities for the attackers to exploit and gain unauthorized access to machines. Moreover, the bad actors exploit vulnerabilities in the RDP and launch further ransomware infections and attacks remotely. Even worse, hackers may search the vulnerable machines on search engines to find devices weaknesses and infect it.

Removable Media

Another mechanism that ransomware employs to propagate and penetrate a target system is through removable devices such as USB drive. These are common mechanisms to deliver ransomware to target systems. Moreover, connecting infected devices to computer systems may enable the ransomware to encrypt files in the local machine and perhaps propagate through the networks to infect other hosts.

Ransomware Prevention

There are different ways that individuals and organizations can use to secure their data and systems from ransomware attacks. The best security strategy against ransomware, however, is to use a mix of prevention, detection, and recovery capabilities. Prevention of ransomware attacks nevertheless involves various techniques, including the following:

Security Awareness Training

This is one of the best mechanism and strategies to prevent ransomware and other similar malware attacks for that matter. According to some reliable studies, most security threats can be prevented just by conducting continuous security awareness raising programs. Ransomware attacks are not any different and employing robust security awareness training would very much minimize it to acceptable level.

Multifactor Authentication (MFA)

Relying on a single security control would cause single point of failure and expose organizations and individuals to cyberattacks. Therefore, it is best practice to employ multifactor authentication to stop malwares at a number of checkpoints for verifications. Because, there is less probability of failure of the controls at the same time.

Systems Patch and Update

Deploying security patches and updating systems to the latest versions would have been possible to thwart most security threats. However, due to the negligence of personnel, organizations fall victim of cyberattacks that could have been avoided through security patches and updates. Therefore, individuals and organizations can prevent themselves from ransomware attacks by apply time security patches and updates.

Endpoint Security Controls

Individuals and organizations can protect their data and systems by deploying endpoint security controls such as antimalware and IDS/IPSs solutions. Moreover, endpoint security controls in collaboration with network security controls such as firewalls can stop many cyberattacks including ransomware malware.

Backup Systems

The last but definitely not the least control against ransomware attacks is to establish secure and reliable backup systems. The best move after ransomware attacks is to restore data from the backup system. However, many organizations do not understand this and lacks robust backup strategies.

Additional Specific Measures

In addition to the aforementioned ransomware prevention measures, the following are also some of the most common and specific measures to avert the attacks.

• Never click on unsafe links
• Avoid disclosing private personal information
• Do not open suspicious email attachments
• Do not use unknown removable sticks
• Keep your programs and operating systems up-to-date
• Use only known sources for downloading things
• Use VPNs on public networks
• Install anti-malware solutions
• More

Ransomware Attack Examples

Some of the most popular ransomware attacks in history include the following:

• WannaCry: It was one of the most powerful and popular ransomware malware and it infected over 250,000 systems in May 2017. And it targeted vulnerability in computers running Microsoft Windows operating systems worldwide.
• Cryptolocker: This was the first ransomware attack that adopted cryptocurrency such as bitcoin for ransom payments purposes. In addition, it spread through email attachment in 2014 and further infected users’ hard drives, and attached network drives.
• Petya: It was a ransomware malware, which infected and encrypted Microsoft Windows-based machines in June 2017. Moreover, it infected the Master Boot Record (MBR) to execute its payload.
• Cryptobit: This ransomware malware corrupted the firs 212 or 1024 bytes of any data file it finds in target systems in December 2014. It infected target systems using social engineering techniques and convinced victims to install it on their machines.