Probably some of the smartest criminals around are hackers. These cybercriminals quickly figure out creative ways to attack and gain access to some of the most secure systems around. Over the past couple of years, we have seen financial institutions and major retailers being breached, giving the cyber attackers access to account information.
It appears that hackers have found an easier way to make a profit from their attacks. Rather than acquire the information and then sell it, the latest trend, being referred to as the “hot hacking” trend of 2016 is ransomware. The name describes this type of attack perfectly.
Essentially, the attack spreads malicious software on the network infecting the system in a way that encrypts all of the data on connected devices. Once the files have been infected, the software demands payment before releasing access to them, literally holding your system for ransom.
While any company can become a target, it is unfortunate that these cybercriminals seem to be targeting hospitals. While organizations can potentially lose valuable data and profits, loss of access to hospital records could potentially cause the loss of lives. In one instance while patient care was not affected, there were emergency room delays and 911 patients had to be rerouted to other hospitals. They are the types of delays that could cost lives.
This happened to a Los Angeles hospital which resolved the issue by paying the equivalent of about $17,000 in Bitcoins to the hackers. In other cases, only a few of the connected devices were affected and once noticed they were disconnected before further damage could occur.
Jerome Segura, who is the senior security researcher for MalwareBytes, a California-based company that sells protective software for consumers and business, said "There are dozens of different types of ransomware. One variant called Cryptowall, doesn’t even require you to download anything.”
Several sites including the New York Times, BBC and the NFL were recently hit by malicious advertising software. The ad redirects to a Web page which installs the ransomware. Companies such as MalwareBytes are constantly updating their protective software to include these new attacks and they offer the following suggestions to keep your systems clean:
- Keep your software up to date. This means your operating systems, browsers and plug-ins, as well as anti-virus and security software
- Back up your files. Make sure you have a complete copy of your system from a known clean slate. It's also good to have more than one.
- Protect yourself. Make sure your security software has some form of ransomware protection such as anti-exploit tools. Most do now, but you may need additional software protection.
In the end, you’re only as safe as you make yourself so.