The Steady Growth of Ransomware

Ransomware remains one of the most significant and rapidly evolving cyber threats, with devastating impacts on organizations around the world. The year 2023 witnessed an alarming increase in attacks, reflecting the constant adaptation and innovation by cybercriminals.

A report from Malwarebytes revealed that, in just four countries (USA, Germany, France, and the United Kingdom), 1,900 ransomware attacks were recorded, with the USA suffering 43% of all global attacks. France saw its attacks nearly double in the last five months of the observed period, highlighting the growing aggressiveness of ransomware attacks. Moreover, the report emphasizes the rise of the CL0P group, which utilized zero-day vulnerabilities to amplify their attacks, indicating a potential shift in strategy towards exploiting vulnerabilities rather than merely data kidnapping.

The report from Zscaler also points to an almost 40% increase in ransomware attacks globally, identifying a significant rise in specific sectors like arts, entertainment, recreation, and manufacturing, with the latter being the most targeted, accounting for almost 15% of all attacks. The research highlights the growth of Ransomware-as-a-Service (RaaS) and non-encryption attacks, showing a trend towards extortion based on data theft rather than its encryption.

Lastly, the Cyberint report on ransomware trends in the fourth quarter of 2023 illustrates the continued success of these attacks, with a 55.5% increase in the number of victims compared to the previous year. LockBit remains the most active group, followed by the PLAY group. The report also underscores the substantial impact of the MOVEit campaign by the CLOP group, evidencing the importance of targeted attacks and the choice of specific victims to maximize impact.

These reports collectively underline the critical importance of robust security measures, including adopting a zero-trust approach, comprehensive SSL inspection, browser isolation, and inline sandboxing, to protect organizations against the growing threat of ransomware attacks. Additionally, collaboration and information sharing across sectors can help prevent future attacks, emphasizing the need for a holistic and adaptive defense strategy to confront the continuous evolution of ransomware tactics.

Key Tactics Used by Ransomware Groups

Ransomware groups employ various sophisticated and constantly evolving tactics to compromise organizations and individuals. Some of the main tactics include:

• Phishing and Spear Phishing: These techniques involve sending fraudulent emails that appear to be from trusted sources. The aim is to deceive recipients into clicking on malicious links or attachments, leading to the installation of ransomware.
• Exploiting Vulnerabilities: Attackers actively seek vulnerabilities in outdated software and operating systems. By exploiting these security gaps, they can infiltrate networks without user interaction.
• Ransomware-as-a-Service (RaaS): Some ransomware groups operate on the RaaS model, where ransomware developers rent their software to affiliates who execute the attacks. This allows even individuals with limited technical skills to launch ransomware attacks.
• Supply Chain Attacks: Attacking service or software providers that have connections with multiple organizations can allow attackers to compromise many victims simultaneously.
• Evasion Techniques: Ransomware groups often use techniques to avoid detection by security solutions, such as altering malware code, using encryption to hide communication, and running ransomware directly in memory.
• Double Extortion: In addition to encrypting data, some groups threaten to publish stolen data online if the ransom is not paid, increasing pressure on victims to comply with demands.
• Exploiting Remote Network Services: Remote access tools, like RDP (Remote Desktop Protocol), are often targeted to gain direct access to network systems.
• Zero-Day Attacks: Utilizing vulnerabilities that are not known to the public or the software manufacturer, allowing surprise attacks without readily available defenses.
• Bots and Worms: Automating the spread of ransomware using bots or worms that propagate through networks without direct human intervention.
• Social Engineering: Convincing users or administrators to perform specific actions that facilitate ransomware infection, often through deceit or psychological manipulation.

The combination of these tactics and constant innovation by attackers makes ransomware a persistent and complex threat, requiring organizations to maintain robust cybersecurity practices, including regular software updates, security awareness training, and implementation of layered defenses to mitigate risks.

Data Mitigation and Recovery Process

To address a ransomware attack and initiate the data mitigation and recovery process, it’s important to follow a structured set of steps that will help minimize damage and restore normal operations as quickly as possible. Here’s a general guide on what to do:

• System Isolation: Immediately isolate the infected device from the network to prevent the spread of ransomware to other systems. Disconnect all shared storage, networks, and uninfected devices.
• Identification: Determine which version or type of ransomware attacked your system. Specialized tools and websites can help identify the ransomware based on the ransom note or encrypted files.
• Notification: Inform the relevant authorities about the attack. In some cases, it may be necessary to notify customers, especially if there has been a breach of personal data.
• Security Analysis: Conduct a full system scan with an updated antivirus solution to find and remove the ransomware and other potential hidden threats.
• Damage Assessment: Assess the scope of the attack to understand which systems were affected and the type of data that was encrypted or potentially exfiltrated.
• Data Recovery: If possible, restore files from backups that were not affected by the ransomware. Having a reliable and regularly tested backup strategy is crucial for such situations, but if the backup has been compromised, solutions from specialized data recovery companies are necessary.
• Security Policy Review: After recovery, review and strengthen your security policies. This includes updating software, strengthening passwords, limiting access as necessary, and training employees in security awareness.
• Preventive Measures Implementation: Implement additional security solutions, such as Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR) systems, firewalls, and cloud-based security solutions that offer real-time protection against threats.
• Testing and Monitoring: Regularly test your security defenses and monitor networks and systems for signs of suspicious activities that may indicate a new attack attempt.
• Consultation with Cybersecurity Experts: Consider working with cybersecurity experts to assess your security infrastructure, identify gaps, and implement robust solutions.

Paying the ransom is not recommended, as it does not guarantee the recovery of data and may encourage criminals to continue their attacks. Additionally, by following these steps, it’s possible not only to recover from a ransomware attack but also to strengthen the organization’s security posture against future threats. And trust the ransomware recovery solutions offered by data recovery companies such as Digital Recovery.