This article has been indexed from Security Boulevard
I watched the Senate Judiciary Committee’s hearing about ransomware called “America Under Cyber Siege: Preventing and Responding to Ransomware Attacks” with mixed emotions. I am glad to see there are impressive, dedicated professionals like those who testified before the committee on the case, focusing on the areas where additional legislation could help prevent future attacks. I’m glad to see there is awareness, but if we’re going to see real change we need to achieve a better collective understanding of the underlying problems behind the eye-catching ransomware headlines.
So what is ransomware? According to Bryan Vorndran, Assistant Director of the FBI’s Cyber Division, “At its most basic, ransomware is a computer program created by malicious actors to 1) infect a computer or server; 2) encrypt its contents so they cannot be accessed or used; and 3) allow the malicious actors to demand that a ransom be paid in exchange for the decryption key.”
On the one hand, the fact that ransomware attacks have entered the public consciousness enough to demand a senate hearing is encouraging. Ransomware has become the boogie man in the closet. In reality, ransomware alone isn’t an attack. It is an effective way of monetizing an intrusion. The intrusion is the attack – or the robbery. The ransomware is what enables emptying cash from the money drawer into a pillowcase. In the real world, we focus on shoring up access points to prevent bank robberies. In the digital world, we need to do the same – focus on the intrusion that enabled the use of ransomware.
During his testimony, Eric Goldstein, Executive Assistant Director for Cybersecurity at The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, made it clear: “Most ransomware attacks generally do not use zero-day vulnerabilities or exquisite tradecraft, but rather exploit known security weaknesses or a failure to adopt general
[…]
Content was cut in order to protect the source.Please visit the source for the rest of the article.
Read the original article: The Proliferation of Ransomware Attacks: Protecting Critical Infrastructure