We spend a lot of time reporting on ransomware because we are seeing more incidents than ever before, and our readers comment that keeping them up to date on ransomware tactics is helpful. The ransomware gangs, strains and vectors are constantly changing, so it is very challenging for companies to keep up with their latest
MAZE
OFAC Issues Advisory on Sanctions for Facilitating Ransomware Payments
On October 1, 2020, the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) issued an advisory “to highlight the sanctions risks associated with ransomware payments related to malicious cyber-enabled activities.”
The advisory acknowledges that the incidents of ransomware attacks on U.S. companies have risen during the COVID-19 pandemic. Although the advisory does…
Cyber Claim Trends Outlined in Coalition Report
Cyber liability insurers are in a good position to provide insight into the types of cyber incidents that are hitting the industry. Coalition, a provider of cyber insurance globally, which “serves over 25,000 small and midsize organizations across every sector of the US and Canada,” issued its Cyber Claims Report this week about the claims…
Carnival Cruises Hit with Ransomware
Adding insult to injury for cruise ship company Carnival Corporation (Carnival) following the hit from the pandemic to the travel industry as well as a class action lawsuit relating to the Diamond Princess’ fate during the pandemic, Carnival disclosed in its August 17, 2020 8-K filing that it recently experienced a ransomware attack. According to…
Privacy Tip #239 – Hackers Know How to Embarrass You
There have been numerous examples of how hackers can get hold of sensitive and deeply personal information and use it against individuals to embarrass and extort them into sending money or compromising pictures to the hackers to prevent the information from being posted on the web.
These examples include cyberbullying, online love scams, blackmail through…
Cognizant Confirms Maze Ransomware Attack
The criminals behind the Maze ransomware [view recent related posts here and here] have gone big and hit Cognizant, one of the largest technology consulting companies in the U.S., with its nasty ransomware.
Cognizant stated on its website that it “can confirm that a security incident involving our internal systems, and causing service disruptions…
Sodinokibi Hackers Switch Payment Mechanism to Monero
The hackers behind the Sodinokibi/REvil ransomware have reportedly switched their demands for payment from Bitcoin or Ethereum to Monero cryptocurrency to try to prevent law enforcement from tracking payments.
The hackers reportedly advertised the switch in a posting to an online hacker and malware forum, and admitted that the switch from Bitcoin to Monero is…
COVID-19 Vaccine Test Lab Hit by Maze Ransomware
Despite the fact that the hackers behind Maze ransomware previously promised not to hit medical organizations during the coronavirus pandemic, it recently attacked a British medical lab that is slated to test COVID-19 vaccines during the pandemic. The Maze hackers previously said publicly that it would “stop all activity versus all kinds of medical organizations…
Ransomware—to Pay or Not to Pay and Should We Get a Bitcoin Wallet Just in Case?
There’s nothing worse than paying criminals. And paying a ransom for data is just that—paying criminals for a criminal act. All you get out of the payment is access to your data. It doesn’t fix the vulnerability or the root problem. Let the record reflect that the FBI does not recommend paying ransoms to cyber…