Main Ransomware Tactics

Ransomware is malware designed to break into, in some cases extract and encrypt the victim’s data.

Ransomware is malware designed to break into, in some cases extract and encrypt the victim’s data. With this encryption the files become inaccessible, and a ransom is charged so that the victim can access their files again.

Hackers always target companies with large amounts of data on their servers, the more data encrypted, the higher the ransom. Therefore, the main targets of attacks are: Servers, Virtual Machines, NAS Storages, DAS, SAN, RAID systems, Database and others. In short, every device that stores data is a target for criminals.

Even though ransomware groups are extremely sophisticated in their attacks, there are barriers they need to overcome, which are not easy at all, and the main one is breaking into the victim’s system. Companies have been investing heavily in firewalls, antivirus, anti-ransom, and especially training for their employees.
For this reason, criminals have created strategies to circumvent these defenses.

Forms of Ransomware Attacks

Even though there is all this investment in security, none of them guarantees 100% data security, and hackers take advantage of these gaps for their attacks. Let’s see what are the main tactics they use to invade the victim’s network.

Via RDP (Remote Desktop Protocol)

RDP is a Windows port for remote access, hacker groups use a brute force attack to access the network and take it over, thus installing ransomware.
It is necessary to develop protocols for remote access, and to limit the users that can access them, as well as having strong passwords. This tactic is used to attack specific targets.

Spam e-mail campaigns

Spam email campaigns consist of a mass mailing of emails that contain malicious links or attached documents, these documents are the most common ones, such as .word, .excel, .pdf, .jpg and others.
The emails are designed to be identical to emails from large companies such as banks, post offices, stores, and the like.

This campaign relies on the inattention of the user, the maxim is, never download files from emails from unknown senders. Employee awareness is vital for large companies.

Unofficial/Cracked Programs

You can find almost any program for free on the internet, they may not even charge to be downloaded, but they can buy a much higher value later.

Ransomware groups hide their malware in these programs, and may manifest themselves long after the program is downloaded, so the connection to the downloaded program is not evident.

These programs when downloaded ask the user to disable Windows security, this is like opening the doors of a house for the hijacker to enter.
Never download these programs, always opt for official programs.

Phishing

Phishing is the simplest tactic, but also one of the most dangerous. It does not rely on a system flaw, but rather on the inattention of the user who may release a username and password, so that the group can break into the system without resistance from firewalls.

Phishing goes beyond email, and can also be used on unsecured sites such as pop-ups that once clicked on take users to pages with emergency messages requesting personal information.

Employee awareness is the best countermeasure for this type of tactic.

Employee Grooming

This tactic is one of the most damaging that hackers use, it has the ability to bring to its knees all the investment that the company has made in firewalls, antivirus, training, etc.

Groups have already been identified that have contacted employees through LinkedIn, offering high values for their credentials.

Conclusion

These are the most commonly used tactics by hackers, but they are not the only ones. There are several groups that look for new avenues to make attacks.

Ransomware is one branch of malware that has elevated its attacks in a surprising way, you can never be too careful with security.

The most important care is the backup routine, it is not intended to prevent ransomware attacks, but it is a safeguard in case an attack happens.

But even if the backup is encrypted by the ransomware, there is still a way out, the decryption of the ransomware files by RansomHunter.

Frequently Asked Questions About Ransomware Recovery

Every day, ransomware attacks get
better and better. After a successful
attack attempt, ransomware quickly
maps the user’s most important files to
begin encryption. Microsoft Office files,
databases, PDFs and design are among
its main targets.

Yes, yet the ransomware is designed not to be identified by the firewall, so it can infiltrate the company’s internal system and disable defenses, move laterally, and alter backup routines. Get Expert Help to Decrypt Files › The user can identify the ransomware action, even if the system cannot identify it, the malware uses the system’s own resources for the encryption process, and may be slow to respond to user requests. The file extensions are changed, a specific extension is added that mentions the attacker group. Stay tuned for these signs.
Yes, it is possible. But there is a risk that some files will be corrupted. Once you identify the ransomware action on the system, disconnect the device from the internet, this will break the group communication with the malware, some ransomware can continue encryption even without internet access. You can also initiate antivirus countermeasures to isolate the malware and delete it, if the antivirus has not been disabled by the ransomware. Stopping the encryption is extremely difficult, the ransomware is designed to disable any system or user countermeasures, decreasing the chances of the process being interrupted. Get Expert Help to Decrypt Files ›
The attacks usually happen when there is a drop in the flow of users in the system, which happens on weekends and holidays, during the early hours of the morning, making these dates suitable for attacks. Get Expert Help to Decrypt Files ›
There are numerous encryption algorithms, but the most widely used are RSA [Rivest-Shamir-Adleman]-2048 and AES [Advanced Encryption Standard]. Get Expert Help to Decrypt Files ›
First of all, keep calm, criminals count on the victim’s desperation. Follow these tips:
  • Isolate the affected device – The ransomware can move laterally through the system and reach other devices, so it is important to isolate its field of action.
  • Verify backup – If the backup has not been reached by the ransomware, data can be quickly restored without major problems.
  • Avoid contact with criminals – Criminals use psychological tactics to extort as much money as possible in the shortest possible time, the fact that the victim is emotionally involved with the incident makes him an easy target.
  • Don’t negotiate with the criminals – The group gives no guarantee that the decryption key will be released after the ransom is paid, you have to take only the criminals’ word for it. Besides the payment will fund the group for further attacks.
  • Contact government authorities – The government has agencies that specialize in combating cyber attacks, which will investigate the case.
  • Contact a company that specializes in decrypting Ransomware files – RansomHunter is able to decrypt ransomware files without the need for the decryption key, their solutions are an option to paying the ransom.
Get Expert Help to Decrypt Files ›
After the first contact and sending of the data we will diagnose the files to check the extent of the damage caused by ransomware, with this we can project the duration of the process and provide the budget. After the client approves the budget, we start the decryption process, for this we have exclusive software that can, with the help of our specialists, reconstruct the data. After the end of the process we will do a double check so that the client can verify the integrity of the recovered files. Payment is only made after delivery of the files and validation of the same by the client. Get Expert Help to Decrypt Files ›

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