Ransomware: These two gangs are behind half of all attacks

Apparently, the perpetrators are recognized and monitored over time. Only a few of them cause most of the damage. However the article below is totally mute about any law enforcement action and where these hackers are located.

That so few of these criminals are indicted is a great concern! If a significant number of these criminals are state actors or protected by certain countries, we should know more about it.

"Over half of all ransomware attacks reported during the first three months of this year are the work of just two cyber criminal outfits. 

According to analysis of recorded ransomware attacks between January and March 2022 by cybersecurity researchers at Digital Shadows, LockBit 2.0 and Conti were the two most active ransomware gangs during the three-month reporting period, accounting for 58% of all incidents. 

And of the two, LockBit is by far the most prolific, accounting for 38% of ransomware attacks. That's almost twice the number of recorded attacks by the Conti ransomware group, which accounted for 20% of campaigns in the same period. ..."

Ransomware: These two gangs are behind half of all attacks | ZDNet Two particular ransomware groups have been very busy- but there are other ransomware threats out there too.

Software developed by SMU stops ransomware attacks

Good news! Sounds very promising and will hopefully defeat many criminals!



"The FBI estimates that ransomware victims have paid hackers more than $140 million in the last six-and-a-half years." 

And this estimate is only for the U.S. I presume.



"Unlike existing methods, such as antivirus software or other intrusion detection systems, SMU’s new software works even if the ransomware is new and has not been used before.

SMU’s detection method is known as sensor-based ransomware detection ... The new software also can scan a computer for ransomware much faster than existing software ... SMU’s software functions by searching for small, yet distinguishable changes in certain sensors that are found inside computers to detect when unauthorized encryptions are taking place. ... When attackers encrypt files, certain circuits inside the computer have specific types of power surges as files are scrambled. Computer sensors that measure temperature, power consumption, voltage levels, and other characteristics can detect these specific types of surges ... Southern Methodist University (SMU) has filed a patent application for this technique"



Software developed by SMU stops ransomware attacks – SMU Research Engineers from SMU’s Darwin Deason Institute for Cybersecurity have developed software that detects ransomware attacks before attackers can inflict catastrophic damage.

Does Google News Propagate Viruses?

Beware Of Fake News On Google News

I am afraid, I have very recently (Today 10/4/2013) become aware of just that. A person who I know very well clicked on one of the first three top news purportedly a story from the Washington Post about a pilot who died after emergency landing.

It is hard to believe that a company like Google is not capable of eliminating such phishing attempts!

Ransomware Via Google News

This “news” article immediately installed a so called ransomware virus on the person’s computer, took control over the built in camera to take a snap(mug)shot of the person to present an “FBI” warning that the person just downloaded some illicit material and that the person would be prosecuted and fined for it.