Page 40 - Cyber Defense eMagazine - November 2017

RANSOMWARE: NOTHING TO SNEEZE AT

by Mike Andrews, Managing Director, NovaStor Corporation

We’re heading into cold season and the common cold is well… common. A trip to the pharmacy
presents us with endless options for making your week a little more bearable, but unfortunately,
it’s after the fact. Colds keep evolving and staying one step ahead of medications.

Ransomware is similar to the common cold in the way that there is no foolproof preventative
cure, its roots date way back, it continuously reinvents itself to find new methods of attack and
overall, just makes your life miserable.

You’ve probably been seeing a lot of news about Ransomware lately due to the recent
devastation executed upon high profile targets including universities, hospitals and government
agencies by strains that include names like WannaCry, Locky, Bad Rabbit, etc. The targets you
probably don’t hear as much about are everyday small businesses, lawyers, dental offices,
construction companies for example – who bear the lion’s share of these attacks.

We call it Ransomware because in the moments that follow the breach of an unsuspecting
victim, it locks down access to data on their system and then purports to provide the key for
unlocking information, if a ransom is paid within a specified amount of time. Maybe.

Rule number one is not to pay a ransom as numerous cases exist where a victim has paid only
to never receive the promised key. Also, who is to say that paying does not make you a target
for future attacks?

Like the common cold, taking measures to prevent getting infected in the first place is the best
way to deal with ransomware. You need to think prevention – Think smoke detectors over fire
extinguishers. Investing the time in advance preparation will pay off in the long run when
compared to the resources needed to deal with the aftermath.

To understand how to prevent ransomware attacks, it’s best to know how they work, what are
the unique types of ransomware for identification, and what preventative actions to take.

Common types of Ransomware:

• Crypto-Ransomware
o Encrypts the files on a victim’s machine.
o Gives a time limit.
o Victim must pay a fee.
• Lock-Screen Ransomware
o Locks the screen.
o Demands payment.
o No files encrypted or affected.
• Master Boot Record Blocking
o Computer will not boot up.
o Ransom instructions displayed on screen.

40 Cyber Defense eMagazine – November 2017 Edition
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