How to Avoid Falling Victim to Different Ransomware Schemes

There are numerous ways to avoid falling victim to a ransomware scheme. The best way is to be alert and stay aware. Ransomware notes often request victims to donate to charity organizations, help the homeless or children, or provide financial aid to those in need. The ransomware note may also ask victims to record their actions and publish them on social media. Taking action is easy, and it will make you appear trustworthy. However, knowing what to look for before downloading any ransomware is essential.

Double Extortion

The Double Extortion Ransomware Scheme is a recurring cyberattack in which hackers encrypt data and demand ransom to release it publicly. Cybercriminals also sell the stolen data to other attackers and share the information on the internet. These attacks have increased in frequency over the last year and benefited from the alliance of ransomware-as-a-service actors, including initial access brokers who sell access to corporate systems. The combined effort of these actors has enabled double extortion ransomware attacks to grow by 935% in one year.

The double extortion ransomware scheme has become one of the most popular methods used by cybercriminals. This attack threatens to leak sensitive information and deprive organizations of their files. The threat of public exposure increases the pressure on organizations to pay the ransom. In addition, the attackers have added multilevel extortion techniques to their arsenals, including the use of distributed denial-of-service attacks and hounding the customers of the victim organizations.

Jigsaw Ransomware

The Jigsaw ransomware scheme is a notorious cyberattack that encrypts your files and asks for a ransom in exchange for releasing them. The attack, as mentioned above, is a malicious cyberattack that is a result of malware. The Jigsaw virus was released in 2016 and quickly became a significant issue. This ransomware attack uses AES’s sophisticated encryption algorithm to encrypt your files. To decrypt your files, you must have a key to unlock the encryption.

The Jigsaw ransomware will attempt to delete these shadow copies when it first starts up, but restoring the files you need to access is possible. The first step is to install the ShadowExplorer software on your PC. This software is available for download online and can be installed by double-clicking the ShadowExplorer-x.x-setup file. You can then run this tool to detect and remove Jigsaw malware from your computer.

Petya 2.0 Ransomware

The latest virulent ransomware scheme, known as Petya 2.0, is spreading across Europe and Russia. The ransomware has already hit US and Ukrainian companies and banks in Ukraine. The infection encrypts individual files and the Master Boot Record, locking victims out of their computers until they pay the ransom or provide a decryption key. The ransom note is usually sent via email, instructing victims to send $300 in Bitcoin to an address given in the ransom note.

The Petya ransomware spreads through phishing emails with a fake order confirmation attachment. The virus uses the same EternalBlue (MS17-010) vulnerability that the WannaCry ransomware exploited. This ransomware can potentially spread to other computers by exploiting other vulnerable systems nearby. After it has infected a PC, it spreads through the network, encrypting files and demanding ransom.

The latest example of a ransomware attack is the Petya 2.0 malware, which is now making its way around the world. It uses sophisticated techniques to encrypt data and encrypt entire hard drives. The Petya malware first emerged in Ukraine but has now spread worldwide, including in the United States. The Petya attack is seeded through software updates to a popular accounting program used by government contractors in Ukraine. Despite being spread via email, victims of this ransomware scheme have no way of decrypting their files and communicating with the attackers.

The Petya ransomware uses the EternalBlue (MS17-010) vulnerability to spread. Other ransomware families have used this exploit in the past. While the Petya 2.0 ransomware is similar to the WannaCry ransomware, it differs in several ways. It encrypts the master boot record and the master file table of the hard drive, which prevents the system from booting normally. It also seizes information about file names, sizes, and locations.

GoldenEye Ransomware

Check Point cybersecurity researchers have been monitoring a recent ransomware campaign that targets German businesses and individuals. The GoldenEye ransomware infection uses fake emails that resemble a job application. The emails contain two attachments: one is a PDF containing a cover letter, and another is an XLS file supposedly containing an application form. Both of these attachments have the malicious GoldenEye payload.

To decrypt a computer, the GoldenEye ransomware scheme uses two layers of encryption. First, the hackers will email the victim a decryption key once the ransom is paid. Because of this method of payment validation, victims are less likely to trust hackers. Despite this, Posteo has pulled the plug on GoldenEye’s email account. This should help make a complete recovery easier.

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