Items tagged with Ransomware
WannaCry Ransomware Attack That Crippled UK Hospitals Could Have Been Avoided With Basic IT Security
You might think that the massive number of security breaches that have happened in recent years would push corporate giants and medical facilities out there to take a look at their own security and ensure that their networks are protected. We are only a few months removed from the massive attack that breached Equifax...
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Microsoft has found a way to fight back against the growing threat of ransomware, a devious type of malware that encrypts files and folders on a victim's PC and then demands a ransom—oftentimes in Bitcoin due to its anonymity—in exchange for unlocking the user's data. Some ransomware strains even come with a timer...
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This has been a bad year for wide-scale ransomware attacks, where malware encrypt a user's computer and demands payment to unlock the machine. The two major ransomware attacks that have happened in 2017 include WannaCry and ExPetr (or Petya and NotPetya as they were also called). The hackers behind WannaCry cashed out...
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Cybercriminals have developed a new form of Android ransomware that gives victims added incentive to pay up. In addition to scrambling the user's data with an AES encryption algorithm, the new ransomware replaces an infected device's personal identification number (PIN) with one that is randomly generated, effectively...
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TrendMicro has published a report that claims that a "sizable" spam campaign is underway and other than just having a bunch of unwanted email to contend with, the spam campaign is also pushing ransomware. The spam campaign is said to be distributing the latest variant of Locky, which is the ransomware that invaded...
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Cyber crooks have found a new way to ruin a person's day with ransomware. Traditionally most ransomware encrypts a victim's storage device and then demands a ransom in order to unlock the files. Some of the nastier versions will put a time limit on receiving payment before the ransomware starts permanently deleting...
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Here's something you don't see too often: a ransomware creator unearthing the master decryption key for public consumption. That's exactly what we're seeing from Petya's original developer, allowing those affected by certain versions of Petya to recover their data, and developers the ability to create decrypters to...
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Over the past few years, one of the most prevalent types of malware has been ransomware - an infection that automatically locks down your sensitive data, and then makes you buy it back with your hard-earned cash. In May, one of the hardest-hitting ransomware strikes occurred, via the appropriately named WannaCry. Now...
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There are no days off in Redmond, at least not for Microsoft. Hot on the heels of dealing with the WannaCry ransomware outbreak, Microsoft has now addressed reports of a new ransomware making the rounds, one that shares similar code with Petya, a nasty piece of ransomware in and of itself. What makes this new strain...
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Following last month's WannaCry attack, it looks as though another ransomware outbreak is quickly spreading around the globe. The attack seems to be centered in the Ukraine, where the ransomware has crippled the country’s central bank and power utilities like Ukrenego and Kyivenergo.
Kiev’s Borispol airport has...
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Getting on-board with an operating system like Windows 10 S may be difficult for some users. Only a certain type of user would purposefully opt to use a whittled-down, locked-down OS by choice, but for the security conscious, it makes a lot of sense. After all, 10 S is still Windows -- it's just supposed to be safer.
That's been Microsoft's
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It seemed for a moment that the WannaCry ransomware that wreaked havoc at hospitals across Europe had been neutralized, but apparently it is still causing disruptions. The latest report comes from Honda Motor Co., which said on Wednesday that it had to shut down one of its factories in Japan after discovering that...
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The notion that Mac systems are immune to malware is just plain wrong. Sure, Macs might be less susceptible to malware than Windows-based PCs, but they are certainly not exempt from security threats. Proving otherwise, two different security outfits have put out warnings about separate threats targeting Mac users. One...
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Now that the dust has settled on a global ransomware outbreak that could have been much worse than it ended up being, we can all breathe a sigh of relieve. Meanwhile, security outfits are busy analyzing the outbreak to uncover as much information as possible about the threat known as WannaCry. According to Symantec's...
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For a quick minute, it looked as though a strain of ransomware that was seemingly stolen from the United States National Security Agency (NSA) was going to be a major problem for PCs around the world, and in particular Windows XP systems. Microsoft even made the unusual move of releasing an emergency patch for Windows...
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The Wanna Decrypter ransomware that began floating around the Internet late last week, or WannCry as it's commonly known, has made a lasting impact, with hundreds of thousands of PCs worldwide being affected. What the malware does is even more alarming: one minute, you're using your computer normally; the next, your...
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The Internet community was able to breathe a temporary sigh of relief after a 22-year-old security researcher accidentally discovered a way to thwart WannaCrypt, a fast-spreading strain of malware that was stolen from the National Security Agency. After reaching tens of thousands of systems in over 70 countries within...
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Microsoft stopped supporting Windows XP several years ago, though because some users and businesses (including government agencies) are still clinging to the legacy operating system, it has been known to release patches for more serious security threats. It does not happen often, but it does happen. Case in point...
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Last fall, we reported on a somewhat humorous report of a mere "reply all" email that managed to bring down email servers of the UK's National Health Service. Unfortunately, we have something a bit more severe to report on today: an all-out cyberattack against the NHS.
At some point today, doctors at NHS had to...
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Set phasers to stun! New ransomware is making the rounds today, and it is adopting a Star Trek theme. Avast researcher Jakub Kroustek is credited with tracking down the Kirk ransomware, which wreaks havoc by encrypting your precious files and demanding payment to get those files back.
Unlike other ransomware, which...
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When ransomware strikes, its impact could range from mild to severe. Sometimes, ransomware targets regular users, while other times, it targets important mega-corporations (or even police stations). In this latest incident, it affected a hotel, and subsequently ran the risk of affecting all of its guests.
Here it...
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Police are supposed to catch criminals; not become the victims of their antics. However, one Texas police department is finding out the hard way that ransomware is a big problem, as one of its employees fell for one of the oldest tricks in the [computer hackers’] playbook.
According to a local news report, someone...
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