What conjures up in your mind when you hear the word ransom? Maybe a scene from a Hollywood movie with abduction. The criminals demand hefty money from the victims to release their loved ones.
What is Ransomware?
The cybercriminals out there are on a hunt to steal your precious data, whether that’s your personal data or business data worth millions. They first encrypt it, so you can’t open or access it, and then demand an exorbitant ransom to restore it. If you don’t pay up, your data could be lost or worst, even sold on the dark web. The malware used in these types of attacks is called Ransomware. The tactics to deploy ransomware include social engineering, phishing attacks, exploiting security risks, malicious links, and compromising systems.
What is RaaS or Ransomware as a Service?
RaaS is the breeding ground for ransomware attackers. With the passage of time, these goons are no longer alone. There is an entire ecosystem in which criminals operate. These include Blackhat hackers and developers who create ransomware, clients or affiliates who buy this software, websites that host this software; and even provide support services to the perpetrators. Ransomware as a Service or RaaS is a business model in which the attackers and the RaaS operators share profits. Ransom demands are increasing exponentially each year reaching as high as $50 million in some incidents.
Famous Ransomware as a Service Operators
Knowing some of the RaaS operators, platforms, and groups will enable you to keep an eye out for their ulterior motives. Some famous RaaS operators are DarkSide, REvil, Dharma, and Lockbit, but the list is virtually endless.
Nothing sacred in Dharma RaaS
Dharma RaaS targets smaller businesses and affiliates by giving hackers detailed attack scripts.
DarkSide RaaS
DarkSide Ransomware as a Service ring has targeted atleast 60 cases of double extortion. Recently, DarkSide has extorted some NASDAQ companies and several other high-profile firms.
Ransomware as a Service (RaaS) REvil
REvil/Sodinokibi used for many years. Ransomware attacks carried out by REvil RaaS are highly variable in both approach and impact. Therefore, it can be challenging for defenders to anticipate them.
Are we helpless? Not anymore…
This is a real danger, which requires preventive and redressal measures.
The good news is that there is a new solution called Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR). In addition to taking effective preventative measures to safeguard your network, EDR also has the capability of very quickly reverting an infected device back to its pre-infection state.
How does EDR Work?
EDR or Endpoint Detection and Response as the name suggests works on two fronts. First, it ensures that your systems remain ransomware and malware-free. Infected devices are one of the biggest causes of malware spreading. EDR achieves immunity by giving the option to allow or restrict the USB and Mass Media Access for the workstations and laptops. If your systems have been infected and the files have been corrupted, EDR can revert the encrypted files to their pre-infection state. It is a powerful Artificial Intelligence-based tool which means it gets smarter as it works and can isolate files from the virus. It provides a standalone web portal to monitor and manage your devices. Therefore, it provides a holistic view of your infrastructure so you can keep an eye on Ransomware as a Service attacks and other cyber threats.
Conclusion
Technology is advancing at an accelerated pace, as are cyber threats. Phishing, malware, ransomware, spyware, viruses, trojan horses, email spoofing, etc., don’t even scratch the surface. Keeping yourself safe from modern threats requires a powerful tool. EDR is an AI-based tool that is capable of learning and preventing threats from spreading. However, there is no silver bullet for cyber security. A comprehensive approach can protect your organization, which most certainly should include EDR, but also backups, disaster recovery, and user training. Although this may sound like a tall order, you may be surprised to learn that Cyber Security as a Service is quite affordable.
How can we help?
CRES Technology ensures to keep your network and data protected so that you can feel secure and confident.
Many of our clients were in danger of becoming a victim of cyber security attacks. They needed IT security to help prevent attacks from ever happening and help them recover if an attack did happen. That’s where CRES Cyber Security comes in.
With our extensive capabilities in cyber security and partnership with top cyber security software companies, we enable you to prevent cyber attacks, network exploitation, data breaches, phishing emails, and more. Our RMM audit assesses the health of your network and resources. We offer network penetration testing to prevent network exploitation, implement data loss prevention policies to prevent data breaches, and phishing email testing to teach your staff to identify phishing emails. CRES Technology implements state-of-the-art Endpoint Detection & Response solutions, allowing your company to be able to recover from any kind of damage caused by cybercriminals.
Please contact us if you would like to discuss how we can keep your network secure and healthy.
About Waqar Hussain
CRES Technology – Director of IT Services
A technology leader with outstanding knowledge, technical expertise, and a proven track record of leading complex infrastructure projects and managing help desk teams.