{"id":1856,"date":"2024-06-06T01:21:00","date_gmt":"2024-06-06T01:21:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.prolimehost.com\/blogs\/?p=1856"},"modified":"2024-06-06T19:24:13","modified_gmt":"2024-06-06T19:24:13","slug":"addressing-ransomware-attacks","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.prolimehost.com\/blogs\/addressing-ransomware-attacks\/","title":{"rendered":"Addressing Ransomware Attacks"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><center><iframe src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/g1DY50PaFD8\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/center><br \/>\n<img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-1857\" src=\"https:\/\/www.prolimehost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/ransomware-2320941_640-300x200.jpg\" alt=\"ransomware\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.prolimehost.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/ransomware-2320941_640-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.prolimehost.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/ransomware-2320941_640-512x341.jpg 512w, https:\/\/www.prolimehost.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/ransomware-2320941_640.jpg 640w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/>First, what exactly are ransomware attacks and what\u2019s the motivation behind them? Motivation seems easy enough to decipher \u2013 it\u2019s monetary greed. In every instance I\u2019d read about, there\u2019s always some monetary demand to decipher their sites, generally in BitCoin payments (the preferred currency of cybercriminals everywhere).<\/p>\n<p>One definition is, \u201cRansomware is a subset of malware in which the data on a victim&#8217;s computer is locked, typically by\u00a0encryption, and payment is demanded before the ransomed data is decrypted and access returned to the victim.\u201d<\/p>\n<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_80 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-grey ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"ez-toc-pull-right ez-toc-btn ez-toc-btn-xs ez-toc-btn-default ez-toc-toggle\" aria-label=\"Toggle Table of Content\"><span class=\"ez-toc-js-icon-con\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/www.prolimehost.com\/blogs\/addressing-ransomware-attacks\/#The_most_common_source_of_ransomware_attacks\" >The most common source of ransomware attacks<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/www.prolimehost.com\/blogs\/addressing-ransomware-attacks\/#Cant_log_into_your_site\" >Can\u2019t log into your site?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/www.prolimehost.com\/blogs\/addressing-ransomware-attacks\/#Has_your_data_been_kidnapped\" >Has your data been kidnapped?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/www.prolimehost.com\/blogs\/addressing-ransomware-attacks\/#Early_attacks_could_be_reverse_engineered_but_%E2%80%A6\" >Early attacks could be reverse engineered, but \u2026<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/www.prolimehost.com\/blogs\/addressing-ransomware-attacks\/#Previous_versions_of_ransomware_attacks\" >Previous versions of ransomware attacks<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"https:\/\/www.prolimehost.com\/blogs\/addressing-ransomware-attacks\/#Ransomwares_attacks\" >Ransomwares attacks<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-7\" href=\"https:\/\/www.prolimehost.com\/blogs\/addressing-ransomware-attacks\/#Does_paying_ransomware_demands_guarantee_youll_get_your_files_back\" >Does paying ransomware demands guarantee you\u2019ll get your files back?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-8\" href=\"https:\/\/www.prolimehost.com\/blogs\/addressing-ransomware-attacks\/#The_average_amount_of_ransom_demanded_currently_exceeds_1000\" >The average amount of ransom demanded currently exceeds $1000<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-9\" href=\"https:\/\/www.prolimehost.com\/blogs\/addressing-ransomware-attacks\/#Are_internet_of_things_IoT_vulnerable_to_ransomware_attacks\" >Are internet of things (IoT) vulnerable to ransomware attacks?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-10\" href=\"https:\/\/www.prolimehost.com\/blogs\/addressing-ransomware-attacks\/#Who_actually_uses_ransomware\" >Who actually uses ransomware?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-11\" href=\"https:\/\/www.prolimehost.com\/blogs\/addressing-ransomware-attacks\/#How_would_you_know_you_were_attacked\" >How would you know you were attacked?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-12\" href=\"https:\/\/www.prolimehost.com\/blogs\/addressing-ransomware-attacks\/#The_key_to_minimizing_ransomware_attacks_is_prevention\" >The key to minimizing ransomware attacks is prevention<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-4' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-4'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-13\" href=\"https:\/\/www.prolimehost.com\/blogs\/addressing-ransomware-attacks\/#BROUGHT_TO_YOU_BY_PROLIMEHOST\" >BROUGHT TO YOU BY PROLIMEHOST<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-5' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-5'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-14\" href=\"https:\/\/www.prolimehost.com\/blogs\/addressing-ransomware-attacks\/#VPS_SERVICES_LIGHTNING_FAST_SSD_VIRTUAL_SERVERS\" >VPS SERVICES: LIGHTNING FAST SSD VIRTUAL SERVERS<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-5'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-15\" href=\"https:\/\/www.prolimehost.com\/blogs\/addressing-ransomware-attacks\/#DEDICATED_SERVERS_BACKED_BY_A_999_SLA_NETWORK_UPTIME_GUARANTEE\" >DEDICATED SERVERS: BACKED BY A 99.9% SLA NETWORK UPTIME GUARANTEE<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-5'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-16\" href=\"https:\/\/www.prolimehost.com\/blogs\/addressing-ransomware-attacks\/#ASIA_OPTIMIZED_SERVERS_IMPROVING_CONNECTION_SPEED_AND_QUALITY\" >ASIA OPTIMIZED SERVERS: IMPROVING CONNECTION SPEED AND QUALITY<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"The_most_common_source_of_ransomware_attacks\"><\/span>The most common source of ransomware attacks<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Malicious email attachments are high on our list as a common source of ransomware attacks, followed by software applications (and external storage devices) that have been infected, and what we see more often than not \u2013 websites that have been compromised. RDP (remote desktop protocol) is also used simply because it doesn\u2019t rely on user interaction.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Cant_log_into_your_site\"><\/span>Can\u2019t log into your site?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>In some instances, cybercriminals use a lockscreen variant whereby they alter their victim\u2019s logins.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Has_your_data_been_kidnapped\"><\/span>Has your data been kidnapped?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Here your data files are encrypted, not necessarily only to the infected device, but to other network devices that are connected.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Early_attacks_could_be_reverse_engineered_but_%E2%80%A6\"><\/span>Early attacks could be reverse engineered, but \u2026<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>You guessed it. While early attacks could be reverse engineered relatively easily, cybercriminals have developed enhanced versions that utilize exceptionally strong public key encryption.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Previous_versions_of_ransomware_attacks\"><\/span>Previous versions of ransomware attacks<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>When discussing public key encryption, one of the earliest versions of ransomware that used this was a Trojan horse by the name of Cryptolocker. As usual, the attackers demanded payment via bitcoin, and at the time, because of the RSA cryptology used, this was highly effective malware. Fortunately, the encryption keys for this variant were discovered leading to the development of an online tool that facilitated recovery, effectively defanging the malware.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Ransomwares_attacks\"><\/span>Ransomwares attacks<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>A past attack, defined as WannaCry was disseminated in the Spring of 2017 that infected over 250,000 systems around the world. This malware utilized asymmetric encryption, making recovery difficult. Why? Using this variant, victims faced increasingly difficult recovery paths attempting to discover the private and undistributed key that was necessary for decryption.<\/p>\n<p>Once again, payments via bitcoin were demanded, simply because they couldn\u2019t be traced to the recipients. The net estimated damage from this attack alone may have exceeded $1 billion dollars.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Does_paying_ransomware_demands_guarantee_youll_get_your_files_back\"><\/span>Does paying ransomware demands guarantee you\u2019ll get your files back?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Unfortunately, paying ransomware demands does NOT guarantee that you\u2019ll get your files back.\u00a0 Approximately 20 percent of firms or organizations that pay these fees do NOT get their data back.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"The_average_amount_of_ransom_demanded_currently_exceeds_1000\"><\/span>The average amount of ransom demanded currently exceeds $1000<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>The estimated percentage of business executives that actually paid these demands ranges from 3 to 70 percent, so those aren\u2019t exactly rocket science numbers, although across the board, fewer percentages of US companies tend to pay.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Are_internet_of_things_IoT_vulnerable_to_ransomware_attacks\"><\/span>Are internet of things (IoT) vulnerable to ransomware attacks?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Unfortunately, yes, IoT is vulnerable, so it\u2019s imperative that you take precautions. We\u2019re talking about smart thermostats, refrigerators and security systems, as well as many other devices.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Who_actually_uses_ransomware\"><\/span>Who actually uses ransomware?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Unbelievably, ransomware kits on currently available on the dark web for less money than you might imagine. And you don\u2019t have to be a computer geek to purchase and implement an attack. In some scenarios, the seller of the ransomware malware actually collects the ransomware payments, takes their percentage of the loot and distributes the remaining amount to the purchaser.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"How_would_you_know_you_were_attacked\"><\/span>How would you know you were attacked?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Of course, there are the more obvious signs of attack like receiving a pop up message telling you that you\u2019ve been attacked. Of course, the approach these cybercriminals take to extort digital currency for their misdeeds vary. Some victims are given deadlines to pay and some are simply threatened by promising to expose confidential information or data.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"The_key_to_minimizing_ransomware_attacks_is_prevention\"><\/span>The key to minimizing ransomware attacks is prevention<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>First and foremost, backup your data in multiple locations, online and offline remotely and don\u2019t click on suspicious attachments in emails, especially from strangers.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/www.prolimehost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2014\/08\/unnamed-e1408122780935.jpg\" alt=\"ProlimeHost Cheap Dedicated Servers\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"BROUGHT_TO_YOU_BY_PROLIMEHOST\"><\/span>BROUGHT TO YOU BY PROLIMEHOST<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h4>\n<p>We\u2019ve been in the web hosting industry for over a decade, helping hundreds of clients succeed in what they do best and that\u2019s running their business. We specialize in Virtual Private Servers (VPS) and dedicated servers, with data centers in Los Angeles, Denver &amp; Singapore.<\/p>\n<h5 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"VPS_SERVICES_LIGHTNING_FAST_SSD_VIRTUAL_SERVERS\"><\/span>VPS SERVICES: LIGHTNING FAST SSD VIRTUAL SERVERS<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h5>\n<p>Our\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.prolimehost.com\/ssd-vps-server\/\">Virtual Private Servers<\/a>\u00a0all feature high performance Xeon processors and SSD storage in a RAID10 configuration to optimize your server\u2019s performance, which dramatically enhances visitor experiences on your site.<\/p>\n<p>That speed is backed by unparalleled 24\/7 support, featuring both outstanding response AND resolution times to maximize your uptime.<\/p>\n<p><strong><em>Now is the time to join the ProlimeHost virtual private server revolution.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<h5 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"DEDICATED_SERVERS_BACKED_BY_A_999_SLA_NETWORK_UPTIME_GUARANTEE\"><\/span>DEDICATED SERVERS: BACKED BY A 99.9% SLA NETWORK UPTIME GUARANTEE<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h5>\n<p>We only use enterprise-class hardware in our\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.prolimehost.com\/los-angeles-dedicated-servers\/\">dedicated servers<\/a>\u00a0and offer a four (4) hour hardware replacement. Throw in IPMI for remote management, support for public and private networks, free operating system (OS) re-installs, and SATA, SAS &amp; SSD (including NVMe) storage. Call 1-877-477-9454 or\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.prolimehost.com\/contact\/\">contact us<\/a>. For everything from gaming servers to\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.prolimehost.com\/discounted-dedicated-server-deals\/\">cheap dedicated servers<\/a>, we\u2019re here to help.<\/p>\n<h5 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"ASIA_OPTIMIZED_SERVERS_IMPROVING_CONNECTION_SPEED_AND_QUALITY\"><\/span>ASIA OPTIMIZED SERVERS: IMPROVING CONNECTION SPEED AND QUALITY<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h5>\n<p>Procuring an Asia optimized server improves the connection speed and quality between the server and the users in Asia or China. This can reduce latency, packet loss, jitter, and bandwidth issues that can affect the performance and reliability of the server and the applications hosted on it. For more information, please call 1-877-477-9454 or\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.prolimehost.com\/contact\/\">contact us<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"First, what exactly are ransomware attacks and what\u2019s the motivation behind them? Motivation seems easy enough to decipher&hellip;","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":1857,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"csco_display_header_overlay":false,"csco_singular_sidebar":"","csco_page_header_type":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[11,1,10,88],"tags":[120,123,43,24,107,113,139,166,106,33],"class_list":{"0":"post-1856","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-around-the-web","8":"category-geneal","9":"category-tutorials-tips","10":"category-video","11":"tag-asia-optimized","12":"tag-china-optimized","13":"tag-dedicated-server","14":"tag-dedicated-servers","15":"tag-dedicated-servers-usa","16":"tag-gaming-servers","17":"tag-prolimehost","18":"tag-ransomware","19":"tag-virtual-private-servers","20":"tag-vps","21":"cs-entry"},"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.prolimehost.com\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1856","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.prolimehost.com\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.prolimehost.com\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.prolimehost.com\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.prolimehost.com\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1856"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.prolimehost.com\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1856\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.prolimehost.com\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1857"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.prolimehost.com\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1856"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.prolimehost.com\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1856"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.prolimehost.com\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1856"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}