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Ransomware is on the Rise: Is Your Business Protected?
By BUFFERZONE Team, 24/06/2015
By Israel Levy, CEO Of BUFFERZONE. As published on IT Business NET
Businesses that have thus far avoided extortion by ransomware shouldn’t assume that the bad guys are turning their attention to other pursuits, or that law enforcement agencies have shut them down — because ransomware isn’t just getting more rampant; it’s getting more potent and devious, too.
Skyrocketing Versions and Strains
With respect to ransomware’s shift from widespread threat to all-out epidemic, in just the first 90 days of 2015, McAfee Labs has identified a 165% surge in new ransomware versions and strains – including several from the CTB-Locker ransomware family, which is a variant of the notoriously difficult to detect CryptoLocker, the most infamous example of ransomware. Individuals and businesses fortunate enough to have no direct experience with CryptoLocker (at least not yet) have probably seen screenshots of the “YOUR PERSONAL FILES ARE ENCRYPTED!” red-screen-of-death it foists upon victims, complete with a traumatizing countdown timer.
Here is a video to see how ransomware works and how it can be blocked.
Businesses: The Next Ransomware Frontier
In terms of ransomware’s heavier toll, the news on that front is grim as well – especially for businesses. Security firm KnowBe4 has sounded the alarm on “Locker”: a new ransomware version equipped with a sleeper function that directs the malware to lay dormant on a large pool of infected computers. When the full payload is activated and goes on the attack, security researchers are caught off guard and cannot rapidly mitigate the infection — thus exposing the organization to substantial damages.
