Ransomware and Data Extortion

Ransomware poses an existential threat to organizations of all sizes in any vertical. These attacks are extremely lucrative, with ransom demands and recovery costs bleeding victim organizations out of millions of dollars. This book provides an overview of the ransomware economy, including the threat that this complex attack ecosystem poses to organizations, and reveals how you can best prepare to be resilient in the face of this threat and remain operational. Introduction 1. Inside the Ransomware Economy Ransomware Operations Are Costly The Cybercrime and Nation-State Connection Ransomware-as-a-Service Top Ransomware Infection Pathways Phishing and Other Social Engineering Attacks Unsecured or Compromised RDP and VPN Connections Watering Holes, Malicious Ad Libraries, and Drive-By Attacks Tainted Software Downloads Zero-Day and Unpatched Vulnerability Exploits Brute-Forced and Stolen Authentication Credentials Unhooking and Bypassing Endpoint Security Tools Network, System, and Software Misconfigurations Attack Toolkits and Abuse of Legitimate Network Tools Dwell Time 2. Shifting Legal and Liability Landscape Regulatory Actions Threat of Lawsuits Criminal Charges Uber SolarWinds 3. Defending Against Ransomware and Data Extortion Attacks Dedicated Anti-Ransomware Solutions Pre-execution Ransomware Prevention Exploitation of Ransomware Features Advanced Ransomware Behavior Detections Endpoint and Network Resiliency Patch Management Data Backups Access Control Security Awareness and Training Procedure Testing Resilience Testing Conclusion About the Authors