You've probably been reading articles about Wanna Decryptor, the ransomware that has hit companies and institutions around the world, including several hospitals in the United Kingdom. This ransomware hijacks the data of the infected computers and, to recover them, those responsible for the attack, who remain anonymous, request an economic reward from those affected in the form of the bitcoin virtual currency.However, experts in the field highlight that the payment of a ransom is not a guarantee that the information encrypted by the virus can be recovered.
This malware is accessed mainly through emails with spam receipts, fake invoices or email notices delivered to any type of device (smartphones, tablets and computers) and, once installed and activated, encrypts all data and files to block access without the password that allows you to decrypt them.
Shortly before this attack was carried out, in Nobbot we already warned of these new dangers that occur in the world of Internet and hackers, since the bad guys have adopted the modus operandi of the good ones.that companies like Microsoft or Adobe offer lifelong programs such as Office or Photoshop as a service, hackers sell ransomware , fashion malware and the one with the most victims worldwide, also as a service .
" Criminals are no longer isolated lords with a desire for notoriety, but hundreds of companies with commercials, advertising campaigns and muleros or intermediaries spread across many countries", explains Ignacio Franzoni, systems engineer at the corporate security solutions provider Fortinet.
The criminals are no longer isolated lords with a desire for notoriety, but hundreds of companies with commercials, advertising campaigns and muleros or intermediaries
Advice and simple management console
The good professionals of the dark side not only develop a piece of software with which the client will be able to encrypt their victim's PCs and then ask for a ransom to release them-that's basically what the ransomware-, but also will advise you when paying , since almost always the subscription is requested in bitcoins to leave no trace of the operation, and will provide you with a management console so that you can to develop easily without having deep computer knowledge.
"The client buys the software and the infrastructure on which it runs, and also has a very simple interface to execute the attack. The client is told: access this website, put the victim's URL and press the button ", explains Jose de la Cruz, technical director of the Japanese security software manufacturer Trend Micro.
The client of this type of malware has many online stores where Acquire the service .Stores that are hosted in the dark part of the Internet, in the so-called Deep Web, the one that is not indexed and does not appear in Google searches, and where in addition there is no trace thanks to the networks TOR, but they can also reside on the mainstream web, the one that Google puts mortals in a click away.
"The purchase process is easier than Amazon," says Ignacio Franzoni, of Fortinet, who also remembers that there are countries in the world where hacking is legal , and areas where the main economic activity is hacking ".An example is the Romanian population of Ramnicu Valcea, who since the fall of the Berlin Wall lives mostly from the Internet scam and that the Wired publication qualifies as the " world capital of cybercrime " .
The Romanian population of Ramnicu Valcea, described as the "world capital of cybercrime", lives mostly on the Internet scam
The main gateway of the ransomware in the companies is in the mailbox of the employees.First attacks date back to 2005, ransomware has become popular in the last four years, and in Spain many have suffered it in their meats with massive bells such as the Post Office or Endesa, where the bad guys used the widespread lack of caution of users.
Tips to defend against ransomware
What to do so that your company does not add up to the list of thousands of companies that every year have to pay a ransom to recover their information and meanwhile see how their computer equipment is left blank, or black, according to Look?
Jose de la Cruz recommends, first, raise awareness among employees.The bad guys use the ingenuity of the so-called "human link"." It falls out of ignorance or recklessness .If you don't expect anything Post, do not open an email from Post Office.Just like that, "says the Trend Micro expert.
Once everyone is aware of what can happen, it is convenient to install a good anti-ransomware solution on PCs and laptops , but also on mobile phones , which today have become the main working tool for many people.In addition, it is convenient to have a backup of the important information.After all, what criminals usually do is encrypt the hard drive, and if that hard drive is replicated, because we will have solved many problems
In this sense, Ignacio Franzoni, of Fortinet, recommends not paying, as a way to discourage hackers and finally put an end to these types of threats; however, in many cases it is not easy to choose to ignore blackmail.and after all, the bad guys play with the urgency of having their computers useless, their arms crossed and their clients unattended.
Finally, it is worth noting that the cyberattacks that request a rescue in exchange for the recovery of the systems was one of the most prominent threats for Internet users and companies in 2016.According to the prediction of IBM Securiy, this trend will continue to increase during this year.
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