Chimera ransomware has been around for some time, and while the operation was believed to have been shut down in 2015, it has recently made a come back, with an upgrade that is even nastier than before. Chimera is a Trojan, which means that it cannot spread by itself, but instead relies on its victims to share and install the program. The new strain focuses more on businesses as opposed … Read more
As with most other strains of ransomware, Cerber ransomware will encrypt your files, and hold them hostage until a ransom is paid, usually in bitcoin. Once the ransom has been paid, the threat actors will provide the victim with a decryption key, which will unlock their files, assuming they deliver on their promise. The Cerber strain, which was discovered in late February 2016, has now been integrated into a ransomware-as-a-service … Read more
BlackMatter ransomware has been around since July 2021 and has been used to target organizations that provide important services to American citizens, including two organizations in the U.S. Food and Agriculture Sector. BlackMatter is actually a ransomware-as-a-service (RaaS) platform, and some have claimed it to be a rebrand of DarkSide RaaS. As with most RaaS models, BlackMatter can be leased to novice threat actors in exchange for a share of … Read more
As with most strains of ransomware, Netwalker targets devices running Microsoft Windows, and after the victim’s files have been encrypted, the attackers will ask for a payment in bitcoin in order to release the decryption key. Netwalker employs the “double-extortion” technique, which is where the attackers extract a copy of the victim’s data before initiating the attack. They then publish a sample of the stolen data on the dark web, … Read more
Cryptolocker ransomware first appeared on the scene on September 5, 2013, and remained in the spotlight until the end of May 2014. As with most of the forms of ransomware, Cryptolocker targets Windows-based systems and arrives via a malicious email attachment. It uses an encrypted peer-to-peer communication system, called Gameover Zeus, to communicate between the infected device and a Command & Control (C&C) server. It’s worth noting that the Gameover … Read more
BlackCat, also known as ALPHV, is a strain of ransomware that has been around since November 2021. To be more precise, BlackCat is actually a ransomware-as-a-service (RaaS) operation and is one of the most advanced RaaS operations to-date. The BlackCat group has been attracting affiliates from other RaaS groups, with a 90% payout and a highly-customizable set of features, that will enable even the most novice affiliates to launch sophisticated … Read more
