Researchers have seen an incredible 3500% increase in criminal infrastructure that helps run ransomware campaigns.
Source: BBC
And it's pretty easy to see why. A recent report found that one Russian criminal boss was raking in $90,000 a year from such schemes.
Source: TI
Criminal gangs try to infect people's computers with software that will encrypt all their data under lock and key. Then they'll see a message like: "All files on your computer have been encrypted. You must pay this ransom within 72 hours to regain access to your data."
Source: US-CERT
Fortunately, there are plenty of ways to prevent the loss of your data, starting with conducting regular backups.
Sure, backing up your files to an external hard drive might be annoying, but it would be worth it when you need it. Or you could save your most important files to cloud services like Dropbox.
So even if you are infected with ransomware, it won't matter, since all your important stuff is backed up in a safe place. And you'll keep your cash.
Still, no one wants to be infected in the first place, and one of the easiest methods criminals use is through email phishing. You might get an email with a PDF or Word attachment from some unknown person...
...But once you open the file, it's all over. So be cautious with opening attachments from people you don't know.
"These criminals have evolved over time and now bypass the need for an individual to click on a link," FBI Cyber Division Assistant Director James Trainor said. "They do this by seeding legitimate websites with malicious code, taking advantage of unpatched software on end-user computers.”
Source: FBI
Though unfortunately there is no silver bullet. “There’s no one method or tool that will completely protect you or your organization from a ransomware attack,” Trainor said.
If you are infected with ransomware, you should report it to the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center.
Source: IC3
And whether you pay the criminals to release your data is up to you, but the FBI and cyber professionals recommend against it, since there's no guarantee you'll get it back.
And in the case of the Russian group tracked by a cybersecurity firm, the report found it often collected money without giving users a decryption key at all.
Source: TI
Paying the ransom does not guarantee the encrypted files will be released; it only guarantees that the malicious actors receive the victim’s money, and in some cases, their banking information," US-CERT says. "In addition, decrypting files does not mean the malware infection itself has been removed.
Source: US-CERT
