Ransomware Rampage: Understanding the Latest Threats and Protection Strategies
The online world is filled with dangers, and, unfortunately, new ways to attack individuals and their assets crop up almost daily. One of the most significant sources of concern is ransomware attacks.
In short, these are attacks where your information is withheld, or your system is locked until you pay a sum of money. Naturally, even if you pay the ransom, you can’t be sure you’ll regain control of your device or information. This is why prevention is critical.
One of the most important ways to defend yourself from this is to leave as little trace of your digital footprint online as possible. This can become difficult due to the massive online presence many of us have, not to mention the amount of our information data-brokers have stored. It’s now imperative to be cautious and take safety and preventative measures while using the net.
Attacks at an All-Time High
Unfortunately, ransomware is hot and shows no sign of stopping. According to Malwarebyte's 2023 report, there were 1,900 ransomware attacks in the US, Germany, France and the UK alone.
Furthermore, there's a rise in global ransomware attacks from July 2022 to June 2023. For instance, there was 75% increase in monthly attacks in the US by 48 different groups. In the UK, there’s been an increase in ransome groups setting their targets on multiple victims per month. Between June 2022 and July 2023, the number of known attacks carried out per group per month jumped from one to eight.
A big contributor to this trend is LockBit, a Ransomware-as-a-Service platform. Incredibly enough, these solutions offer ransomware solutions for hackers for a monthly fee. There’s also the rise of the group named CL0P, which exploits zero-day vulnerabilities.
What You Can Do
You can do many things to prevent this type of attack from happening to you. Even if the first cybersecurity recommendation is to use strong passwords, that alone won’t keep you safe. With that in mind, here’s what you need to do to stay safe:
Manage your backups
If you back up regularly, you have nothing to lose in case of a ransomware attack. However, consider that any backups should be inaccessible via the network.
Defend yourself against data brokers
While you can take precautions about the data your share online and using preventative tools such as a VPN, that’s not always enough. Remove your personal information from the internet and from data brokers with the help of a data removal company.
Open links carefully
If an email contains a link, it's better to inspect it before clicking on it. Check for the right domain, misspellings, and telltale signs. Even if the sender is someone you know, their account may have been compromised without your knowledge.
Open attachments with caution
Email attachments are sometimes the trojan horse for all kinds of attacks. Always be wary of them, especially if they’re compressed files.
Verify email senders
Spam emails are a hassle, but fortunately, they aren't so hard to figure out. On the other hand, ransomware emails use ingenious tricks to fool people. So take your time checking the origin and any suspicious spelling.
Use preventive software
Install antivirus and firewalls, and don’t forget to keep them updated. These are crucial because they can reduce malicious network traffic.
