2020 was a very good year for ransomware gangs. With the sudden shift to remote work due to the Covid-19, the opportunities to infect and exploit devices and networks were higher than ever. As a result, the last year has seen many and some of the most dangerous ransomware attacks. According to Cybersecurity Ventures, a ransomware attack occurs every 11 seconds. It is said that the economic losses will reach 20 billion dollars by 2021.
Unfortunately, no one can be completely safe. Some of the largest and most well-known companies have been victims of ransomware attacks in the past year. Tyler Technologies and Tesla are notable examples .
To protect yourself, your staff, your organization, and your data from such an attack, you need to be constantly on the lookout and be very careful. Let's take a look at the most popular ransomware of 2020. This will probably help you understand what to watch out for so that you don't end up on the list of victims of the following ransomware gangs.
1. Maze
Maze ransomware is a variant of ChaCha ransomware, which was discovered in May 2019. In the following period, a well-known gang took the malware, modified it, and launched its own destructive campaigns .
The gang’s attack methods are always the same. The ransomware is distributed via phishing emails , infects the victim’s device and encrypts the files . The hackers then demand money to decrypt the files. However, what is quite unusual is the way the hackers describe their activities. The gang claims to help businesses learn (albeit the hard way) the importance of securing data their . The “training” method used by the hackers is very harsh, as it is combined with the publication of highly sensitive data.
However, in November, the gang announced that it would “retire” and warned that any attack using its name and methods would be a scam. It would not come from the Maze ransomware hackers. Unfortunately, the malware is still around and remains one of the biggest threats for 2021.
2. REvil
REvil was the most famous computer virus of 2020 – and arguably of all time – and was used in attacks on major companies, such as Grubman Shire Meiselas & Sacks. The gang is also known for leaking personal and professional information of celebrities (Madonna, Robert De Niro, Drake, Mariah Carey, Rod Stewart, Elton John and many others).
What surprised many in the cybersecurity community about the hack was that it was relatively simple and that the repeated attacks continued for several weeks. It appears that the hackers were taking advantage of the fact that the company didn't know how to get rid of the virus that was already on its system and hadn't admitted to the attack for weeks.
3. Ryuk
Another dangerous ransomware. Since 2018, the Russian group Wizard Spider has been using Ryuk to target the corporate networks of the world's largest companies. In its first year of operation, this group made a profit of $3,701,893.98. Hackers usually demand ransom in Bitcoin.
For a long time, the number of attacks using Ryuk ransomware had been significantly reduced. However, this is likely due to the fact that this ransomware targets some of the largest companies in the world, which may be hesitant to publicly admit that they have been attacked . Doing so could significantly damage their reputation.
For this reason, it's difficult to gauge how widespread Ryuk continues to be in recent months. However, it will certainly continue to pose a major threat in the new year, especially for growing companies.
4. Tycoon
Tycoon is a special case of ransomware, as it is written in Java . This relatively new malware was discovered by security researchers while analyzing KPMG servers . It has since been found on the systems of other companies.
The malware is designed to steal intellectual property data from entertainment and software companies, but it appears that it has not yet fully exploited its potential.
When Tycoon was discovered, the team behind it was in the process of planning a follow-up attack. Essentially, the attackers wanted to infect a certain number of computers before the attack. Therefore, all companies and users should check their systems for this ransomware.
5. NetWalker
NetWalker is perhaps the most "current" ransomware, and this is because it exploits the global crisis of 2020, Covid-19.
It could just be a coincidence. Ransomware that primarily targets providers healthcare – such as the Mailto malware that gave rise to NetWalker – has been around for some time. However, in recent months, it has become even more popular. It seems that hackers have realized how valuable the data healthcare providers have and how unprotected they are in recent times.
Whether it's a coincidence or not, NetWalker is still among the most dangerous ransomware of 2020.
These were the five most popular and dangerous ransomware of 2020. Experts believe that they will continue to pose a threat in the coming year. All users should check their systems frequently and be constantly vigilant. Important in these cases are creating backups and training staff in recognizing phishing attacks that often lead to the installation of ransomware.
Source: Security Info Watch
