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January 30, 2021 by Vertical Axion
Ransomware attacks are one of the most prevalent cyber attacks on healthcare. It has been around for many years, however, it became a trend in 2016. Recently, there is a significant increase in the frequency and types of ransomware attacks being perpetrated. Since 2019, even before Covid-19, healthcare providers became the primary target of ransomware […]
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January 21, 2021 by Vertical Axion
At CES 2021, arguably the most influential and significant tech event in the world, Intel made an important announcement regarding its historic eleventh generation of chips. The latest designs will feature hardware-based ransomware detection protocols, which should serve to make those types of attacks less likely to succeed. In 2020, ransomware became the attack vector […]
January 14, 2021 by Vertical Axion
Hackers around the world didn’t waste any time. New Year’s celebrations have barely ended, and already, we have our first reports of a new malware strain to help ring in 2021. Dubbed Babuk Locker, the strain is aimed squarely at corporate networks. Based on an analysis of the code, security experts have concluded that the […]
December 22, 2020 by Vertical Axion
With the pandemic still raging, many schools around the world are still shuttered as tens of millions of school age children take to learning from home via remote or distance learning technologies. It is by no means a perfect substitute for in person learning but right now at least, it’s the only viable option available. […]
December 11, 2020 by Vertical Axion
A new ransomware strain burst onto the scene in September of this year (2020). Dubbed ‘Egregor’ by the research team at Digital Shadows who discovered it, it has already claimed more than seventy victims in nineteen countries around the world. Worse, the hackers controlling it appear to just be getting started. The malware is expertly […]
December 3, 2020 by Vertical Axion
Hackers have increasingly gravitated to ransomware attacks in 2020, as being one of the best and most reliable paths to a payday. That brings to mind an interesting question though. Naturally, the viability of this type of attack comes down to what percentage of victims are willing to actually pay the ransom, and what is […]
November 18, 2020 by Vertical Axion
Do you sell goods and services directly from your company’s website? Do you use X-Cart to do it? If you answered yes to both of those questions, you may have had some issues with your sales platform. Thankfully, the issues now seem to have been resolved, but according to the software vendor that makes X-Cart, […]
November 11, 2020 by Vertical Axion
Are you a gamer? Are you a fan of Resident Evil, Devil May Cry, Mega Man, Monster Hunter or Street Fighter? All of those games have something in common. All were developed by Capcom, a Japanese development company with offices in Japan, the US, and Canada. Unfortunately, according to a recent disclosure, Capcom is the […]
October 20, 2020 by Vertical Axion
The year 2020 could well be described as the Year of Ransomware. Security researchers around the globe who monitor such things have noted a sharp uptick in the use of ransomware this year, with well known threats like REvil, Ryuk, and Maze being the most common variants deployed by hackers. That’s bad enough by itself, […]
October 10, 2020 by Vertical Axion
Hackers have long used the lure of software cracks to infect unsuspecting users, but recently, a new group is making waves and finding significant success in using the Exorcist 2.0 ransomware to lock a user’s files and extort them. It’s a nasty combination. The user thinks he’s getting a free unlock for some piece of […]
October 9, 2020 by Vertical Axion
Does your business rely on QNAP NAS storage devices? If so, be aware that the company recently issued an advisory, stating that an unknown group of hackers has begun targeting them specifically with ransomware attacks. The advisory reads, in part, as follows: “QNAP Product Security Incident Response Team (PSIRT) has found evidence that the ransomware […]
October 1, 2020 by Vertical Axion
You may not be familiar with the name Luxottica, but the Italian-based eyewear manufacturer is the largest company of its kind in the world. It has popular brands such as Ferrari, Michael Kors, Ray-Ban, Armani, Coach, and others in its expansive portfolio. Unfortunately, the company recently found itself on the receiving end of a ransomware […]
September 30, 2020 by Vertical Axion
There’s a new threat actor on the hacking world stage, going by the name “OldGremlin”, and they’re causing some serious damage to corporate networks around the world. The group’s malware campaign seems to have begun back in March of this year (2020) and for the moment, at least, is centered in Russia. Of course, it […]
August 31, 2020 by Vertical Axion
Carnival Cruise lines, reeling since the start of the global pandemic, has a new problem. Recently, the company disclosed that they were the victims of a ransomware attack. Carnival’s disclosure was almost frighteningly uninformative. The company gave no clear indication which of their brands was impacted, how widespread the damage was, how many guest records […]
August 7, 2020 by Vertical Axion
According to the 2020 Vulnerability and Treat Trends Report, the number of new samples of ransomware increased by a staggering 72 percent during the first half of this year. Hackers around the world have come to increasingly view it as their go-to attack option. As with a great many things in recent months, this trend […]
August 4, 2020 by Vertical Axion
Do you make use of a Garmin wearable device? If so, then you’ve probably noticed that your device isn’t working the way you expect it to. That’s because the company is experiencing what there are now describing as a global outage. The notification on the company’s website reads, in part as follows: “We are currently […]
July 22, 2020 by Vertical Axion
Although you may not be familiar with the name, a strain of ransomware called “Conti” is surging in popularity on the Dark Web and seeing a rapidly growing number of installations, so it’s definitely one to be on guard against. Advanced intel’s Vitali Kremez has been tracking this strain since it first appeared in late […]
July 15, 2020 by Vertical Axion
If you have one or more illegal copies of Apple software on your Mac, be aware that there’s a new threat to be concerned about. An info-stealing, data wiping malware strain known as ThiefQuest has been found embedded in torrents of illicit software written for macOS. While ThiefQuest isn’t as commonly seen as some other […]
July 13, 2020 by Vertical Axion
The University of San Francisco (UCSF) is the latest organization to fall victim to hackers, running afoul of a group utilizing the Netwalker ransomware strain. UCSF is a research university whose recent efforts have been focused on health sciences generally and COVID-19-related research specifically. On June 3rd, 2020, Netwalker published a notice on a site […]
June 22, 2020 by Vertical Axion
In 2019, a new strain of ransomware called Thanos burst onto the scene and has since been spreading quietly and seeing increased adoption by hackers around the world. The code has been traced to a Russian hacker going by the name Nosophorus, who has been offering the software as ‘Ransomeware-as-a-service’ on Russian-speaking forums on the […]
June 8, 2020 by Vertical Axion
Microsoft recently issued a security advisory about a new strain of ransomware that’s been cropping up with increasing frequency in India, Iran and the US. Called PonyFinal, one of the things that differentiates this strain from the pack is that it’s deployed in what the company describes as human-operated ransomware attacks. Most of the ransomware […]
June 5, 2020 by Vertical Axion
Ransomware attacks have evolved quite a lot over the course of the past year, and have become one of the most visible threats organizations of all sizes face. That is, based on recently published research conducted by Group-IB, which analyzed the rapidly changing threat landscape. Their findings should disturb every business owner. Here’s a quick […]
May 21, 2020 by Vertical Axion
Hackers who use ransomware to conduct their attacks have a new trick up their sleeves. A ransomware family has begun employing the tactic of not only demanding payment to unlock infected systems, but also demanding an additional payment. They’re demanding an extra payment to keep them from publishing copies of the files they stole before […]
April 20, 2020 by Vertical Axion
It’s common knowledge that hackers are highly opportunistic and certainly not above targeting children, the sick and the dying if there’s money to be made. Even so, attacking a drug company currently doing research to find a vaccine for COVID-19 has to be counted as a new low, even for hackers. Sadly, that exact scenario […]
