Imagine, for a moment, that you own a small business -- say, a regional dairy farm producing milk, ice cream, yogurt, and other products. And, like so many companies in the food manufacturing sector, you get hit by ransomware. You can’t access any of the data you need to run your business -- so you don’t know which products to ship, where to ship them, what prices you’ve negotiated, who’s paid and who hasn’t… everything is locked up. And, the clock is ticking -- you can’t tolerate extended downtime or products will spoil and customers will defect to other vendors.
External Author
Recent posts by External Author
Punishing the victim won't stop ransomware
By External Author on Apr 8, 2021 8:45:00 AM
Topics: News Blog
Ransomware negotiations: An inside look at the process
By External Author on Mar 29, 2021 8:45:00 AM
As ransomware attacks continue to surge across the globe, the demand for negotiation services has also increased -- and been hard to fill.
Topics: Blog
Big Game Hunting: CARBON SPIDER and SPRITE SPIDER Target ESXI Servers
By External Author on Mar 16, 2021 8:45:00 AM
Big Game Hunting, the targeted large-scale ransomware campaign, is now regarded as the primary cyber threat to organizations across all sectors including financial, healthcare, and government in 2021. Leaking stolen data in an effort to pressure victims into paying is part of a broader trend across the BGH ecosystem. In the recent headlines, the ransomware operators go beyond the traditional dominance of Windows operating systems and now target VMware ESXi hypervisor. In this Ransomware Battleground, let’s look at how SPRITE SPIDER(Defray777 Ransomware) and CARBON SPIDER (Parkside Ransomware) operate in volume tactics. How do Cybercrime actors now back to use Linux variants of ransomware configured specifically to affect ESXi hosts?
In this talk, we will cover:
- What are Big Game Hunting tactics? And what did ransomware operator behavior change during Covid-19? (from POS to ESXi)
- How do you defend encrypting virtual infrastructure in your corporate network? Credential harvesting and payload ingesting?
- Why is Agentless Zero Trust Isolation and Ransomware Kill Switch the answer to stop Hypervisor "Jackpotting"?
Topics: Video Webinar
5 minutes with Bryce Webster-Jacobsen - What the new CMMC Framework means for defense contractors
By External Author on Mar 8, 2021 8:45:00 AM
Threat actors have successfully targeted defense contractors over the years because they haven’t fully secured their networks, thus creating serious vulnerabilities in U.S. national security. To combat this challenge, the Department of Defense’s (DoD) Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC) framework was born.
Topics: News
FedHeads Podcast Episode 145: Cybersecurity was on brand in 2020 - it was horrible
By External Author on Mar 1, 2021 8:45:00 AM
First a pandemic, then a major economic crisis . . .why not throw in an epic cyber attack? GroupSense CEO Kurtis Minder breaks it down for #FedHeads Francis Rose and Robert Shea and throws in a few ransomware war stories, too. Chilling.
Topics: News
Someone is selling VPN access to a city government in Arizona
By External Author on Feb 24, 2021 8:45:00 AM
A regular user of underground forums and illicit online marketplaces with a track record of selling stolen credentials that can be used to access government, university and corporate networks is attempting to sell access to systems belonging to a large city in Arizona, the cybersecurity intelligence firm GroupSense told StateScoop.
Topics: News
Interactive hacks went up by 400% in the past two years
By External Author on Feb 22, 2021 8:45:00 AM
The cybersecurity industry is often rife with hype around the topic of automation, with both IT security teams and malicious hacking groups steadily incorporating more tools and processes that can rapidly and automatically scan networks or process large datasets at speeds far faster than humans.
Topics: News
The negotiators taking on the ransomware hackers
By External Author on Feb 16, 2021 8:45:00 AM
Kurtis Minder has spent the past year negotiating six-figure ransom demands from gangs of ruthless criminals. Not for the safe return of kidnap victims, but for the release of valuable data that is being held hostage by hackers. Ransomware attacks, which see hackers lock up data or computer systems until they are paid off, have been one of the biggest cyber security headaches for the private and public sectors in the past year.
Topics: News
How ransomware negotiation works
By External Author on Feb 15, 2021 8:45:00 AM
Ransomware has been one of the most devastating malware threats that organizations have faced over the past few years, and there's no sign that attackers will stop anytime soon. It’s just too profitable for them. Ransom demands have grown from tens of thousands of dollars to millions and even tens of millions because attackers have learned that many organizations are willing to pay.
Topics: News
Podcast: Hiring a ransomware negotiator: Tactics, tips and careers
By External Author on Jan 20, 2021 8:45:00 AM
Ever thought of hiring a ransomware negotiator, or becoming one yourself? On today’s episode, Kurtis Minder of GroupSense tells us what makes a good ransomware negotiator, why setting the right tone is crucial in a successful negotiation, and why, in the right situation, you can get away with referring to a ransomer as “grasshopper.”