Drive-by downloads: Hackers can use web sites to pass ransomware to devices without the users’ knowledge. The Trickbot trojan, for example, originally designed to steal banking credentials, was used to spread the Conti ransomware variant throughout 2021. Other malware: Hackers often use malware developed for other attacks to deliver a ransomware to a device.Remote desktop protocol (RDP), a proprietary protocol developed by Microsoft to allow users to access a computer remotely, is a popular credential-theft target among ransomware attackers. They may then use these credentials to log into a network or computer and deploy ransomware directly. Credential theft: Cybercriminals may steal authorized users' credentials, buy them on the dark web, or crack them through brute force.Hackers have also effectively used patched vulnerabilities as attack vectors, as was the case in the 2017 WannaCry attack discussed below. Some ransomware gangs buy information on zero-day flaws from other hackers to plan their attacks. Zero-day vulnerabilities, which are vulnerabilities either unknown to the security community or identified but not yet patched, pose a particular threat. Operating system and software vulnerabilities : Cybercriminals often exploit existing vulnerabilities to inject malicious code into a device or network.In IBM's Cyber Resilient Organization Study 2021, phishing and other social engineering caused 45 percent of all ransomware attacks reported by survey participants, making them the most common of all ransomware attack vectors. pdf, Microsoft Word document, or other file), or into visiting a malicious website that passes the ransomware through the user’s web browser. Phishing emails and other social engineering attacks: Phishing emails manipulate users into downloading and running a malicious attachment (which contains the ransomware disguised as a harmless looking.Some of the most prominent ransomware infection vectors include: Ransomware attacks can use several methods, or vectors, to infect a device or network. Definitive gude to ransomware 2022 (966 KB) According to IBM’s Cost of a Data Breach 2021 report, the average cost of a ransomware attack not including the ransom payment was USD 4.62 million. In more extreme cases, companies may pay as much as USD 40-80 million to have their data released back to their control. And ransom payments aren't the only cost of a ransomware infection. However, according to the report Definitive Guide to Ransomware 2022 (PDF, 966 KB) , ransom amounts that used to total only double digits have grown to seven-figure and eight-figure amounts. Ransomware victims and negotiators are reluctant to disclose ransom payment amounts. The FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center recorded a roughly 243 percent increase in the number of reported ransomware incidents between 20 (link resides outside ibm.com). These double- and triple-extortion tactics, the increased availability of ‘ransomware-as-a-service’ solutions, and the advent of cryptocurrency as an untraceable form of payment have combined to fuel exponential growth in ransomware incidents. ‘Triple extortion’ attacks, which add the threat of a distributed denial of service (DDoS) attack, are also on the rise. The 2022 X-Force Threat Intelligence Index (PDF, 4.1 MB) reports that virtually all ransomware attacks today are ‘double extortion’ attacks that demand a ransom to unlock data and prevent its theft. But today’s cybercriminals have raised the stakes considerably. The earliest ransomware attacks demanded a ransom to unlock the data or a device. In 2021, ransomware attacks represented 21 percent of all cyberattacks (PDF, 4.1 MB) and cost victims an estimated USD 20 billion overall (link resides outside ibm.com). Ransomware is a type of malware, or malicious software, that locks up a victim’s data or computing device and threatens to keep it locked - or worse - unless the victim pays the attacker a ransom.
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