Ransomware is the fastest growing security threat to organisations, according to Trend Micro's 1H Security Roundup Report.
Not only did the occurrence of ransomware families nearly double between the first half of 2015 and first half of 2016, 79 brand new families appeared in the first six months of this year. Many of these new families were specifically developed to attack enterprise-based machines and endpoints, including Crysam, Zcrypt, Crypjoker, Crypradam and Powerware.
These incidents caused huge losses for US businesses - $209 million to be precise - but many of them could have been avoided had the companies taken precautions against them, including educating staff about the risk of ransomware and the damage it can cause, Trend Micro said.
More than half (58 per cent) of the attacks originated from attachments in emails, although Trend Micro explained cybercriminals are becoming more intelligent in their methods use to spread such attacks. For example, Jigsaw threatens to delete a number of files for every hour a ransom isn't paid, while Surprise ransomware increases the ransom amount if the victim does not meet the payment deadline set out by the criminal.
"Ransomware is capable of crippling organizations who face it, and the cybercriminals spearheading these attacks are creatively evolving on a continuous basis to keep enterprises guessing," said Raimund Genes, chief technology officer for Trend Micro.
"It has dominated the threat landscape so far in 2016, causing immense losses to businesses across multiple industries. Enterprises must adopt multi-layered security solutions to optimally combat these threats that could attempt to penetrate corporate networks at any time."
-
AI layoffs could spark a new wave of offshoringNews Analysts expect a wave of rehiring next year in the wake of AI layoffs. That may sound like good news for workers, but it'll probably involve offshoring or outsourcing.
-
Hackers are using these malicious npm packages to target developers Windows, macOS, and Linux systemsNews Security experts have issued a warning to developers after ten malicious npm packages were found to deliver infostealer malware across Windows, Linux, and macOS systems.
-
Volkswagen confirms security ‘incident’ amid ransomware breach claimsNews Volkswagen has confirmed a security "incident" has occurred, but insists no IT systems have been compromised.
-
The number of ransomware groups rockets as new, smaller players emergeNews The good news is that the number of victims remains steady
-
Teens arrested over nursery chain Kido hacknews The ransom attack caused widespread shock when the hackers published children's personal data
-
NCA confirms arrest after airport cyber disruptionNews Disruption is easing across Europe following the ransomware incident
-
Cyber professionals are losing sleep over late night attacksNews Hackers are biding their time and launching attacks when businesses can’t respond
-
Prolific ransomware operator added to Europe’s Most Wanted list as US dangles $10 million rewardNews The US Department of Justice is offering a reward of up to $10 million for information leading to the arrest of Volodymyr Viktorovych Tymoshchuk, an alleged ransomware criminal.
-
Jaguar Land Rover “did the right thing” shutting down systems to thwart cyber attackNews The attack on Jaguar Land Rover highlights the growing attractiveness of the automotive sector
-
Ransomware attack on IT supplier disrupts hundreds of Swedish municipalitiesNews The attack on IT systems supplier Miljödata has impacted public sector services across the country
