Hackers Are Using New Tricks to Deliver Ransomware

TORONTO - June 1, 2016 - PRLog -- Ransomware scams are all about profits and when profits are involved, it creates innovation. Hacker are using new tricks to deliver Ransomware and it is costing businesses tons of money.

Over the last several months, the IT industry has been exploding with the constant attack of new Ransomware hitting networks using new tricks, tools, and techniques to snag victims. IT departments, managed IT services providers and IT consultants have been in a constant battle to protect their networks from this cyber risk but they are getting very creative. According to the news and reports, there is no sign of the trend slowing down any time soon.

What are some of the new tricks to deliver Ransomware?

Locky Ransomware

Locky first appeared on Tuesday February 16^th, 2016 and it allows the hackers to push the malware aggressively, using massive spam campaigns and compromised websites. Locky encrypts files and adds a ".locky" file extension to them. The cyber criminals then demand a ransom between 0.5 to 1 bitcoin (approximately US$210 to $420).

Bucbi Ransomware

Not new but the two year old Bucbi ransomware is making a very strong comeback. It now has new targeted attacks and as well as a new brute force technique. According to Palo Alto Networks (https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/), they have seen reports of the ransomware infecting Windows Servers and demanding 5 bitcoins (approximately $2,320 US) ransom. Bucbi is no longer randomly seeking victims, it is now targeting attacks.

There are no easy shortcuts to get your data back if you don't have a recent data backup. Locky for example doesn't just scramble your C: drive, it also scrambles any files in any directory on any mounted drive that it can access, including removable drives, network shares, servers and other user's computers. If you are logged in as a domain administrator and you get hit by ransomware, you could see widespread damage.

What are some protection measures from these new tricks to deliver Ransomware?

• Backup regularly and keep a data backup copy off-site.
• Encrypt your data backup.
• Do not enable macros in document attachments received via email. (Microsoft default is off)
• Be cautious about unsolicited attachments.
• Do not give yourself more login and credentials more than needed.
• Do not stay logged in as an administrator and avoid browsing, opening documents or other "regular work" activities while you have administrator rights.
• Proactively manage your IT network. Patch early, patch often and stay ahead of malware.

Hackers are using new tricks to deliver Ransomware but it does not mean your business needs to fall into the trap. These simple steps will allow you to protect your business from losing money, time and productivity.

365 iT SOLUTIONS (http://365itsolutions.com/) is delivers industry leading IT consulting and IT security services including Managed IT Services (http://365itsolutions.com/managed-it-services-toronto/), IT Support Services (http://365itsolutions.com/help-desk-support-services-toronto/), IT Outsourcing Services (http://365itsolutions.com/it-support-and-solutions-toronto/), Tech Support Services (http://365itsolutions.com/remote-it-support-monitoring-toronto/) and Cloud Services (http://365itsolutions.com/cloud-services-toronto/).

Our Complimentary Network Assessment (http://365itsolutions.com/offer/) will put your IT infrastructure to the test and test to see if you are using a Layered Security (Layered Defense) approach. We will give you a true picture of your company liabilities from threats such as Ransomware, Malware and other hackers cyber threats.