The “Not-So-Focused” Side of The Cybersecurity Front
Cybersecurity is not only the most important factor that all the organizations should focus on but also so one of the prominent measures that need to be met if even a single company wishes to sustain and thrive in the current market scenario. If we consider the current situation we can safely say that companies of all sizes and across all the sectors of the Global market fall prey to malicious data breaches and ransomware attacks. The incident itself cost the organization a huge amount of data leakage that can risk its reputation in the market let alone the legal battle followed by it. The affected companies spend a huge amount of money on security measures in order to get a comprehensive security structure for their business, but even after their rigorous efforts cyber attackers successfully execute their plan to compromise their network and exfiltrate their data.
In recent times we have seen that the Ransomware as a Service (RaaS) model for ransomware developers has been advertised on the underground hacker forums. The spillage of such delicate information has led everyone that can use the RaaS platform to easily become a ransomware operator, therefore, raising a perpetual threat on the digital platform of the global market. If we take time and observe the matter closely we can understand that a major portion of this lag is the negligence of the cybersecurity consultancy services.
But before stepping into the conclusion of the sun allergy let’s taker look at this situation from a different perspective will get to know about the Trends of these attacks and the various strains of ransomware attacks that have been disrupting the corporate world in the recent time.
REPORTED RANSOMEWARE STRAINS: A DETAILED ANALYSIS
If we consider the recent trends in the cyber threat intelligence sphere, we can see that ‘ransomware and banking trojans’ are among the most common and widely reported threats from all the companies across the world. In addition to the fact that ransomware threats are growing exponentially in the market, is the analysis that tells about certain ransomware groups that are engaged in looting the cryptocurrency bi infiltrating their network. In a nutshell, we can say that a variety of cyber threats including dangerous variants of ransomware are compromising the data networks of all the firms on a global scale and that too with ease because of certain irregularities caused both by the corporates and the consultancy firms.
Below are some of the strains that have been reported by all the industries since the last year:
• Ryuk: Ryuk is one of the most famous ransomware that has been spotted in various cyber threats. With the target list consisting of enterprise organizations, Ryuk has been used in attacks that demanded ransom payments ranging from 15 to 50 Bitcoins or, in other words, 97000 and 320, 000 US dollars according to that time of valuation.
Below is an info-graphic chart showing the most popular attack vectors by attackers using Ryuk and many other strains as their primary ransomware.
The above figure shows that a significantly larger portion of all the popular attack vectors is done by ransomware Ryuk.
• REvil/ Sodinokibi: This ransomware was initially detected in the year 2019 targeting all the health and IT sectors across the world. Later on, this ransomware began spelling sensitive data over the dark web that included crucial information about all the operations of many organizations. Using their malicious code the attackers used to read the concerned companies with random release of these user data if their demands and not met.
• Dharma/CrySiS: even though this ransomware strain was first traced in 2016 the attackers who use this on a regular basis keep on attacking companies with newly updated variants of this train. One of the most important facts that make this one interesting is that the variants that these attackers use are not decryptable. This poses a Grave threat for all the companies out there including some of the cybersecurity consultants.
• STOP/djvu: Djvu is a virus that belongs to the STOP malware family that has been first discovered and categorized as a ransomware which is designed to encrypt files using a cryptography algorithm.
INTENSITY OF THE ATTACKS REPORTED THIS YEAR
Just so you get a better understanding of all the different strains that are still lacking in the corporate world below is a chart showing the magnitude of different strains of ransomware in 2020.
The above chart shows the trending strains of ransomware when the survey included Djvu. Let’s take a look at a chart that excludes djvu, and see what the other strains are, that have prevailed in the market.
Both of the above figures show how all the strains have been affecting the organizations to a level where consultation and professional guidance is not only a viable option but also the smartest decision taken by all firms out there.
COST TO THE FIRMS
When we talk about all the companies that are exposed to cyber threats in a stipulated market say in London, we consider all the consultation services included. But the most important decision isn’t the one an organization takes while choosing the best consulting firm, but the one which t takes on the financial front. The total cost of an average ransomware attack includes many aspects like the ransom amount asked by the attacker (if paid), the entire cost of network repair, the amount of revenue that has been lost by the companies, and the potential damage to the brand image. Only after assessing all these factors, all the concerned companies can think of the subsequent steps. If we take recent reports as the premise of our analogy, we can say that out of all the strains, Ryuk has been one of the most popular ones used all the ransomware attacks. The attackers have a tendency to demand a whopping amount for the safety of all the data that they have.
On a concluding note, it’s always a smart move to be prepared than to recover from a threat. With that vision in mind, Assured GRC extends its professionally sound and accurate cybersecurity consultation sessions with utmost efficiency. Our varied service palette and significant experience in the market as one of the best cyber essential consultants in London is what makes us among the most reliable options for any cyber security managed services by all the firms out there. Call us today at +44 (0)203 4759 932 and enjoy the best consultation services you can ever find.