5 Phases of Ransomware Attacks
Ransomware is one of the scariest business threats as it is the most profitable type of malware attack. Once a cyber-criminal has hacked into a company’s files and encrypted them, companies can only pay the price of the code to decrypt and restore the original files. Cyber-attacks carried out in the stages of a ransomware attack can help you determine what to look for and mitigate the impact of the attack. A ransomware attack goes through five stages, from installing it on your computer to being “alerted” on the screen.
Phase 1: exploitation and infection
Malicious ransomware must be installed on a computer to be effective. This is often supplemented with a phishing email or an exploit kit. An exploit kit is a malicious toolkit used to exploit vulnerabilities in software applications.
Phase 2: Delivery and execution
After the exploitation is complete, usually within seconds, the delivery of the actual ransomware is transmitted to the victim’s system.
Phase 3: Protect looting
Soon after cyber-attacks were carried out, the ransomware attacks back up files and folders on the victim’s system and delete them to ensure that the backups cannot be used to restore data. This only applies to ransomware. Other deceptive software will not delete backup files.
Phase 4: Encryption of files
In the exploit phase, currently available vulnerabilities will be used to deliver malicious code to the target machine in order to gain a more meaningful foothold. Once the drop is placed on the victim’s system, the installation procedure will begin. It usually connects to a Command & Control (C&C) server to download important data (for example, the encryption key or a malicious executable file). Unsurprisingly several variants of ransomware work on a self-replicating basis and will not attempt to infect system files and spread to additional hosts.
Next, the ransomware starts encrypting files on the compromised system and possibly the network and cloud storage. Immediately after installation, training, and access to C&C and encryption on all current infrastructure (network/cloud resources, local hosts), the ransomware will present a ransom message to the target. A desktop wallpaper is usually implemented for this purpose including Top cyber-attacks.
Phase 5: Notify and Clean Up Users
After the backup files are deleted and the encryption is complete, you will be prompted for blackmail and payment instructions. Typically, a business has a few days to pay the ransom before the cybercriminals increase the payment amount.
In other words, cybercriminals expect the victim to pay the ransom note in cryptocurrency to the attacker’s wallet. The ransomware requirements for sophisticated ransomware attacks tend to significantly exceed those for a normal ransomware attack including cyber-attacks.
Conclusion
Demanding ransomware players tend to keep victims’ most valuable assets for ransom and make sure duplicate data is inaccessible for recovery. If the victim does not pay, the data will be lost because the encryption keys were eliminated or injured. NetworkFort will help your organization keep it secure from ransomware and several attacks. Click on the links provided for more information and details
