Dark Reading is part of the Informa Tech Division of Informa PLC

This site is operated by a business or businesses owned by Informa PLC and all copyright resides with them.Informa PLC's registered office is 5 Howick Place, London SW1P 1WG. Registered in England and Wales. Number 8860726.

Database Security
Authentication
Mobile
Privacy
Compliance
Careers and People
Identity & Access Management
Security Monitoring
Advanced Threats
Insider Threats
Vulnerability Management
Comments
Ransomware Surveys Fill In Scope, Scale of Extortion Epidemic
Threaded  |  Newest First  |  Oldest First
BPID Security
BPID Security,
 User Rank: Strategist
11/21/2016 | 10:10:36 AM
Ransomware defense strategy
The concept of ransomeware is insidious, not just that it encrypts but that it can be forwarded via email to all your email recipients.

That being stipulated, it should be rather easy to have the OS, or any OS, monitor activities for encryption and notify users of questionably nefarious activities.

Online game makers have long ago created CPU process monitors to prevent realtime game 'cheating'.

The function is simple to understand, monitor for encryption code running in the cpu rather than the contents of an executale. Then stop it unless the user permits. Otherwise send it to AV for cleanup. Building it is a bit more complex as was the one my firm built for a client. Really the CPU resources and disk activity of full disk encryption is really easy to detect.

Ransomware exists because we make computers with an interface non technical people can use, It wouldn't live very long in a command line OS. Holding users responsible for their failures just adds more stuff people will ignore. It is the responsibility of the service, software or vendor to protect the user.

As an analogy: If you rent a hotel room for a night, go to dinner and your door doesn't lock, and someone comes in and spray paints the room and your possessions, who is ultmately responsible for the loss? You as temporary rentor of the service, or the security of the hotel?

We need legislation to clearly identify responsibility and the limits of that responsibility.

Still, it is a problem that technology created, one that is beyond the technical expertise of most users, and one that is solvable through intelligent technology.
T Sweeney
T Sweeney,
 User Rank: Moderator
11/21/2016 | 10:45:49 AM
Re: Ransomware defense strategy
Thanks for your post, BPID... we hear this same refrain with each new threat type that emerges: Vendors can fix this in software without involving the user. And yet here we are again!

I'd welcome better insight as to what happens on the vendor or developer side. Is ransomware prevention just one more thing in the OS security equivalent of whack-a-mole? Do vendors only see costs that they won't recoup?
ClaireEllison
ClaireEllison,
 User Rank: Apprentice
11/21/2016 | 4:17:38 PM
Re: amazing
Excellent article plus its information and I positively bookmark to this site because here I always get an amazing knowledge as I expect.
Dr.T
Dr.T,
 User Rank: Ninja
11/27/2016 | 2:26:25 PM
Re: amazing
I agree quite valuable information. Well written.
Benefiter
Benefiter,
 User Rank: Apprentice
11/28/2016 | 9:46:54 AM
2 przykazania miłości Modlitwa do Ducha Świętego o wyproszenie łask

It's actually a cool and useful piece of information. I am glad that you shared this helpful information with us.
ClaireEllison
ClaireEllison,
 User Rank: Apprentice
11/21/2016 | 4:20:42 PM
Re: Iamazing
Excellent article plus its information 
Dr.T
Dr.T,
 User Rank: Ninja
11/27/2016 | 2:22:26 PM
Re: Ransomware defense strategy
"Vendors can fix this in software without involving the user". It may be hard to fix security problems with software solutions. It involves users at the end.
Joe Stanganelli
Joe Stanganelli,
 User Rank: Ninja
11/27/2016 | 11:19:40 PM
Re: Ransomware defense strategy
FWIW, virtualized sandboxing has been shown to be an effective countermeasure against ransomware -- and, indeed, that some forms of modern ransomware even actively scan for virtualized instances and decline to install if they find any (lest they be subjected to reverse engineering).
Dr.T
Dr.T,
 User Rank: Ninja
11/27/2016 | 2:24:59 PM
Re: Ransomware defense strategy
"Do vendors only see costs that they won't recoup?" I do not know the answer but this has become an industry going beyond vendors I say.
Joe Stanganelli
Joe Stanganelli,
 User Rank: Ninja
11/25/2016 | 5:30:41 PM
Re: Ransomware defense strategy
Good points.  This is why I preferred the days of MS-DOS.  After I was compelled to upgrade, my understanding of my computer and its processes severely diminished.
Dr.T
Dr.T,
 User Rank: Ninja
11/27/2016 | 2:30:27 PM
Re: Ransomware defense strategy
"This is why I preferred the days of MS-DOS.". MS-DOS may also be used for randsomware, maybe easier in the command line actually I would say.
Joe Stanganelli
Joe Stanganelli,
 User Rank: Ninja
11/27/2016 | 10:54:30 PM
Re: Ransomware defense strategy
@Dr. T: The whole point goes to understanding.

If you're using an OS based in the command line, whether Unix, old-school MS-DOS, or whatever, you naturally have to know much more about what's going on on your machine than the average MacOSX or Windows user.  As such, you're more of a power user and in general will position yourself better.
Dr.T
Dr.T,
 User Rank: Ninja
11/27/2016 | 2:12:31 PM
Re: Ransomware defense strategy
"The concept of ransomeware is insidious, not just that it encrypts but that it can be forwarded via email to all your email recipients." It makes sense, at the end of the day went something not accessible by owner so they can get money of it.
Dr.T
Dr.T,
 User Rank: Ninja
11/27/2016 | 2:18:54 PM
Re: Ransomware defense strategy
"Ransomware exists because we make computers with an interface non technical people can use" I agree, I also think preventing from randsomware is more non-technical than non-technical.
Dr.T
Dr.T,
 User Rank: Ninja
11/27/2016 | 2:36:18 PM
Re: Ransomware defense strategy
"one that is solvable through intelligent technology." I agree with this on the basis, however technology would certainly to help to minimize the risk of it.
Dr.T
Dr.T,
 User Rank: Ninja
11/27/2016 | 2:39:58 PM
Re: Ransomware defense strategy
"We need legislation to clearly identify responsibility and the limits of that responsibility. " I agree with this. Added to that it needs to clarify accountability for the offenders.
ClaireEllison
ClaireEllison,
 User Rank: Apprentice
11/27/2016 | 2:47:55 PM
Re: Industry
Excellent article plus its information and I positively bookmark to this site because here I always get an amazing knowledge as I expect.
Dr.T
Dr.T,
 User Rank: Ninja
11/27/2016 | 2:09:45 PM
Randsomware industry
Randsomware has become a new industry, we need more regulations and accountability on it to keep it at minimum damage.
T Sweeney
T Sweeney,
 User Rank: Moderator
11/27/2016 | 2:24:50 PM
Re: Randsomware industry
Thanks for your comment, Dr. T. What kind of regulations do you think would have an impact on the proliferation of ransomware, or its infection rates?
Dr.T
Dr.T,
 User Rank: Ninja
11/27/2016 | 2:33:21 PM
Re: Randsomware industry
"What kind of regulations do you think would have an impact on the proliferation of ransomware". I do not have a specific example but monetary and jail time for the offenders would discourage it I would think.
Joe Stanganelli
Joe Stanganelli,
 User Rank: Ninja
11/27/2016 | 10:55:36 PM
Re: Randsomware industry
We don't need more regulation or laws here.  This is already covered by existing laws and regulations (standard wire-fraud laws, plus the CFAA, for starters).
Joe Stanganelli
Joe Stanganelli,
 User Rank: Ninja
11/27/2016 | 11:01:03 PM
Re: Randsomware industry
@Terry: The only way I see regulation having an impact here is if it regulates businesses in certain sectors (e.g., healthcare, financial services, etc.) to specifically refuse to pay ransoms or set limits on the amounts they can pay -- and make the penalties for paying ransoms so substantial that such businesses would be compelled to not so pay.

And, as such, those regulations would be completely unworkable.  If a hospital's data is held ransom, human lives and limbs are at stake.  If a financial services' firm or even a generic Fortune 50 firm is held hostage, the entire global economy is at stake.

If those working in public policy really want to make a difference here, the solution is not regulation or legislation but rather better investment in improving cybersecurity.
Lily652
Lily652,
 User Rank: Moderator
12/11/2016 | 1:13:05 PM
prayer times

Nice to see this impressive article and wanna say thanks a lot for providing this much pretty info. I would like to share this with my friends to explore more about this 

Lily652
Lily652,
 User Rank: Moderator
12/11/2016 | 1:13:22 PM
prayer times

Nice to see this impressive article and wanna say thanks a lot for providing this much pretty info. I would like to share this with my friends to explore more about this



Edge-DRsplash-10-edge-articles
I Smell a RAT! New Cybersecurity Threats for the Crypto Industry
David Trepp, Partner, IT Assurance with accounting and advisory firm BPM LLP,  7/9/2021
News
Attacks on Kaseya Servers Led to Ransomware in Less Than 2 Hours
Robert Lemos, Contributing Writer,  7/7/2021
Commentary
It's in the Game (but It Shouldn't Be)
Tal Memran, Cybersecurity Expert, CYE,  7/9/2021
Register for Dark Reading Newsletters
White Papers
Video
Cartoon
Current Issue
The 10 Most Impactful Types of Vulnerabilities for Enterprises Today
Managing system vulnerabilities is one of the old est - and most frustrating - security challenges that enterprise defenders face. Every software application and hardware device ships with intrinsic flaws - flaws that, if critical enough, attackers can exploit from anywhere in the world. It's crucial that defenders take stock of what areas of the tech stack have the most emerging, and critical, vulnerabilities they must manage. It's not just zero day vulnerabilities. Consider that CISA's Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog lists vulnerabilitlies in widely used applications that are "actively exploited," and most of them are flaws that were discovered several years ago and have been fixed. There are also emerging vulnerabilities in 5G networks, cloud infrastructure, Edge applications, and firmwares to consider.
Flash Poll
Twitter Feed
Dark Reading - Bug Report
Bug Report
Enterprise Vulnerabilities
From DHS/US-CERT's National Vulnerability Database
CVE-2023-1172
PUBLISHED: 2023-03-17
The Bookly plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Stored Cross-Site Scripting via the full name value in versions up to, and including, 21.5 due to insufficient input sanitization and output escaping. This makes it possible for unauthenticated attackers to inject arbitrary web scripts in pages that w...
CVE-2023-1469
PUBLISHED: 2023-03-17
The WP Express Checkout plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Stored Cross-Site Scripting via the ‘pec_coupon[code]’ parameter in versions up to, and including, 2.2.8 due to insufficient input sanitization and output escaping. This makes it possible for authenti...
CVE-2023-1466
PUBLISHED: 2023-03-17
A vulnerability was found in SourceCodester Student Study Center Desk Management System 1.0. It has been rated as critical. This issue affects the function view_student of the file admin/?page=students/view_student. The manipulation of the argument id with the input 3' AND (SELECT 2100 FROM (SELECT(...
CVE-2023-1467
PUBLISHED: 2023-03-17
A vulnerability classified as critical has been found in SourceCodester Student Study Center Desk Management System 1.0. Affected is an unknown function of the file Master.php?f=delete_img of the component POST Parameter Handler. The manipulation of the argument path with the input C%3A%2Ffoo.txt le...
CVE-2023-1468
PUBLISHED: 2023-03-17
A vulnerability classified as critical was found in SourceCodester Student Study Center Desk Management System 1.0. Affected by this vulnerability is an unknown functionality of the file admin/?page=reports&date_from=2023-02-17&date_to=2023-03-17 of the component Report Handler. The manipula...