Tag Archive for: alltime

Ransomware Payments Hit $1bn All-Time High Last Year

/in


Ransomware actors collected over $1bn in extortion money from their victims in 2023 – a record high – according to Chainalysis.

The blockchain analysis company warned that even this is likely to be a conservative estimate of the financial impact of ransomware last year, as new cryptocurrency addresses are likely to be discovered over time. It said the figure for 2022 has already been revised up 24% to $567m, for example.

The figure also does not capture other costs associated with ransomware breaches, such as operational disruption, lost custom and expenses related to third-party incident response and forensics.

Two new regulatory filings from victims Clorox and Johnson Controls late last week revealed an initial combined cost of $76m related to two serious breaches at the companies last year.

Ransomware payments have been on the rise since 2019 when Chainalysis began recording the market, aside from a dip in 2022.

However, 2023 saw a “major escalation in the frequency, scope and volume of attacks,” driven by a surge in the number of groups carrying out attacks. These groups were “attracted by the potential for high profits and lower barriers to entry,” the report revealed.

It claimed big-game hunting from groups like Clop has become the “dominant strategy” over recent years, with more and more payments of $1m or more showing up. Ransomware-as-a-service (RaaS) also continues to have an outsized impact in drawing in more affiliates – many of which target smaller victims with lower ransoms.

As has been the case for several years, the ready availability of hacking tools and initial access broker (IAB) services made their job even easier last year. In the case of big-game hunters, exploitation of zero-day vulnerabilities became more popular, such as in the infamous MOVEit campaign, the report continued.

The past year saw an increase in the use of bridges, instant exchangers and gambling services – alongside centralized exchanges and mixers – as a preferred method of laundering funds.

“We assess that this is a result of takedowns disrupting preferred laundering methods for ransomware, some services’ implementation of more robust AML/KYC policies,…

Source…

Global ransomware attacks at all-time high: Report

/in



The global ransomware attacks are at an all-time high, and the US is the primary target, a new report has said.

Source…

Global ransomware attacks at an all-time high and the US is the primary target

/in


Global ransomware attacks are on the rise, according to a The study shows a massive surge from July 2022 to June 2023, with the United States bearing the brunt of these attacks. The organization noted that of the 1,900 reported ransomware attacks collected, over 43 percent originate in the U.S, an increase of 75 percent from last year’s findings.

Germany, France and the UK also experienced an uptick in deployed ransomware, but at a lower rate than the United States. The report details 48 separate ransomware groups that attacked American companies, governmental organizations and garden variety consumers during the aforementioned time period. Even worse? Healthcare and educational institutions were disproportionately impacted. For instance, dental insurer Managed Care of North America (MCNA) and the New York City Department of Education

It’s worth noting that the study conducted by Malwarebytes shows only reported incidents, so the actual number of attacks could be much higher than 1,900. The whole point of a ransomware attack is to, well, exact a ransom, so some organizations make the payout and keep things quiet.

What exactly is a ransomware attack? It’s malware expressly designed to deny users and organizations access to files on a computer. The software locks everything up tight and when you pay the ransom, you receive a decryption key to regain access to the files. It’s a digital shakedown.

The biggest global offender is a ransomware gang called Clop, long-suspected to The criminal organization has evolved in the past year, capitalizing on zero-day software vulnerabilities to amp up the scope of its attacks. Back in June, the group took advantage of one of these vulnerabilities in enterprise file transfer software to breach the servers of hundreds of companies, including the largest US pension fund.

Malwarebytes says this transition to zero-day software exploits, instead of phishing emails and virus-laden downloads, could “signal a change in the game” and explain the increase in reported incidents.

As for the rest of the world, France’s numbers doubled in the past year, with a disproportionate number of attacks levied at governmental institutions. The UK…

Source…

Speed up your home’s Wi-Fi — this mesh router just hit an all-time low for Prime Day

/in


Is the router you got from your cable company not cutting it anymore? If it’s slow, laggy and doesn’t cover every room — especially if you live in a two-story house — we’ve got your salvation. There’s a way to get a fast internet connection everywhere in your home without being forced to huddle in one room. And it’s more affordable than ever. Enter the Amazon Eero 6 Mesh Wi-Fi Router, a compact wireless wonder that gets the job done as seamlessly as possible. Ahead of next week’s Prime Early Access Sale, it’s now $75, down from $89. That’s the all-time lowest price for this popular gizmo.

Fast and reliable internet speeds

Here’s how it works: Simply connect this Wi-Fi router to your modem and place it in an open space. Once synced with your internet provider (it’s compatible with most major services), the Eero 6 Mesh Wi-Fi Router can cover up to 1,500 square feet with speeds up to 900 Mbps. Unlike a Wi-Fi extender, which sacrifices speed for coverage, this mesh router can handle both. No lag, hiccups or dropouts! And shoppers are just in love with it.

“This device is super easy to set up and lightning fast,” raved a very happy Amazon shopper. “I was able to stream two 4K movies and three HD movies on five devices at once with no lag. Set everything up in less than 10 minutes…”

Man installing Eero Pro

Your instruction manual for the Eero Wi-Fi router, all in one pic. (Photo: Amazon)

Multiple device support

If you can’t live (or work) without Wi-Fi, the Eero 6 Mesh Wi-Fi Router will breathe new life into your home. You can also control all devices on your network with the Eero mobile app to give more or less signal strength to devices that might need it.

For example: A Roku Streaming Stick or Fire TV Stick for 4K video streaming might need more speed, while your kids’ laptops could use a slower speed — especially if they’re supposed to be studying instead of watching YouTube videos. It even works with the Echo Dot and Alexa for hands-free navigation. It’s also easy to set up!

“This router is amazing! This router was well worth the price and is possibly one of the best purchases I have ever made,” shared a satisfied Amazon shopper. “We were having a hard time getting and keeping…

Source…