Matt Bromiley’s Post

THIS JUST IN: (last 24 hours) RansomHub / DragonForce / Play / LockBit RansomHub ransomware group has added 3 new victims to their darkweb portal. Panitc////////////////LLP, CM/////// Inc. and Millinocket //////////////. Certi/////////// has fallen victim to the DragonForce ransomware. The group claims to have accessed 40.37 GB of the organizations data and intends to publish it within 6-7 days. Play Ransomware and LockBit allegedly just created an alliance. The alleged agreement involves a $35,000 payment by Play Ransomware for tools. They will also get training from LockBit. A 2024 study by Stanford University found that human error is responsible for 88% of all data breaches. That is why for over 10 years we have been offering a NO COST Public Service Initiative (PSI) for cyber-security awareness training. Its professional training for your team with some excellent take home resources and there is absolutely No Sales Pitch.  Would it be ridiculous to take 15 minutes to hear more about this? #breachavoidance #threatmitigation

Ransomware payouts hit all-time high, but that’s not the whole story: Ransomware payments hit an all-time high of $1.1 billion in 2023, following a steep drop in total payouts in 2022. Some factors that may have contributed to the decline in 2022 were the Ukraine conflict, fewer victims paying ransoms and cyber group takedowns by legal authorities. In 2023, however, ransomware payouts came roaring back to […] The post Ransomware payouts hit all-time high, but that’s not the whole story appeared first on Security Intelligence. https://lnkd.in/gzJCrJdP

Big news dropped today - LockBit no longer!! Join us tomorrow at 10AM ET for a live threat briefing on the LockBit ransomware takedown and taking live Q&A from the audience. The discussion will be led by experts Allan Liska, Dmitry Smilyanets and Alexander Leslie of Recorded Future. What to expect:  - A brief background on LockBit ransomware group and their history as one of the world’s most harmful cybercriminal groups  - The takedown of LockBit including who conducted it and how it happened  - The impact of this takedown on the overall ransomware market  - The potential for LockBit to resurface in the future Register today: https://lnkd.in/eGT37ZEJ

Don't be an easy target. While you may feel powerless about some things in life, there are steps you can take to minimize or limit your exposure on the web: - Turn on MFA (Multifactor Authentication). - Regularly update your software and devices. - Think before you click; most phishing or email scams cause an emotional reaction, so slow down and examine them more closely. - Use a Password Manager with unique passwords for each site (ideally, not the built-in browser password storage). There are many other ways to help secure your online presence and use, but if you aren't doing these, start here. While it's true that it's not "if" but "when" a security event will impact you, we're all in this together. Cybercrime and the damages it causes are the largest transfer of economic wealth we've seen, which isn't good for our towns, cities, states, or country. We must keep fighting the good fight and help those around us. Feel free to DM me if you have any questions or concerns about your or your business's security.

Hmm.. Sam Holding The problem with that is the assumptive that these Incidents represent an "Either/Or" scenario. Often they do not. The simplicity of quick "Pay the ransom" v slow " Cost of self recovery" is not likely to be how it plays. Ransomware is often paired (as we see here with the British Library) with data theft. You can pay.. and you might get a decryption key that works. (maybe!) but this can fail. You can request the attacker deletes the copy of your data they have but you know there is no good way to evidence what they do once data leaves your environment and beyond your ability to audit. Thus, after paying a ransom, It's not beyond the realms of possibility you still have stolen data and no decryption key. Now that is an interesting conversation to have with your Owners/Shareholders who have spent that money! All of this, without even mentioning that to pay a ransom in some jurisdictions may be a crime in itself. You teach the attacker, you will pay. You incentivise the repeat performance of a group that have familiarity of your setup. Plans and playbooks are real important but up against the harsh realities of these incidents..it gets real.

⚠️ It's World Password Day 2024, so here's a reality check: ▪️ '123456', 'admin' or 'password' were the most common passwords in the U.S. in 2023 ▪️ It takes just five minutes to crack an 8-character password ▪️ Ransomware growth skyrocketed by 63% over in 2023 ▪️A staggering 44% of ransomware payouts amounted to $25,000-$99,999 in 2023, exposing personal information and lucrative data Read on for more tips to better secure your account ➡️ https://lnkd.in/gy8q3bkQ

𝗜𝗳 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗻𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝗔𝗿𝗲 𝗦𝗼 𝗙𝗼𝗰𝘂𝘀𝗲𝗱 𝗼𝗻 𝗖𝘆𝗯𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗲𝗰𝘂𝗿𝗶𝘁𝘆, 𝗪𝗵𝘆 𝗔𝗿𝗲 𝗗𝗮𝘁𝗮 𝗕𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗰𝗵𝗲𝘀 𝗦𝘁𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗥𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴? One reason: Ransomware gangs are on the rise, allowing even criminals with minimal computer knowledge to get into the game. 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗸𝗲𝘆 𝘁𝗮𝗸𝗲𝗮𝘄𝗮𝘆𝘀? 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁! From - Wallstreet https://rfr.bz/la0vsg7

2024 is starting off showing a very different picture. While the numbers skyrocketed in Q4 2023 with 1309 cases, in Q1 2024, the ransomware industry was down to 1,048 cases. This is a 22% decrease in ransomware attacks compared to Q4 2023. https://bit.ly/49rvJ3R

The Q2 2024 Ransomware Analysis report has just been released! During the second quarter of 2024, there were 1,755 instances of successful ransomware incursions, marking a 37% rise from the first quarter. Nearly 40% of these attacks can be attributed to three main culprits - Dispossessor, Lockbit, and Ransomhub. Access the complete study here: https://gag.gl/PODaoQ

When did you last change your passwords? It's sometimes an uphill battle to avoid cybercrime, but there's a few simple things you can do to prevent it affecting your loved one: https://lnkd.in/gup-765S