Top 5 signs you are becoming a victim of a ransomware attack

You might not know how costly and disruptive a ransomware assault can be to your business operations if you’ve been the victim of one.

Ransomware is a type of malware that encrypts files and systems and demands money to decrypt them (typically in the form of bitcoin). A window will appear once a machine has been infected, requiring the user to pay a fine. Threat actors frequently impersonate a government agency or other authority and claim that the system has been shut down for security reasons.

Keep an eye out for these five ransomware warning flags.

Suspicious Emails

One of the most prevalent ways that a ransomware assault starts is through phishing. Hackers will send social engineering emails with a malicious file or link, posing as if the sender is from a respectable company. When users open the attachment, hackers gain a foothold in the network and can start moving laterally.

End-user training can provide staff with the knowledge and awareness they need to spot a phishing attempt. If they do, they will be able to provide you with an early warning.

Surprising Network Scanners

Scanners that appear on your network that are unfamiliar or have no utility in your firm should be avoided, especially if they are on servers.

Ransomware attacks are frequently launched by cybercriminals getting access to a single computer. They’ll next dive deeper into your network to determine the domain rights of that computer and what else they can access. Installing a network scanning tool like Advanced Port Scanner or AngryIP is one way for a cybercriminal to do this.

Active Directory Unauthorized Access

Hackers will most likely try to breach your company’s Active Directory (AD) and get domain access using tools like BloodHound and AD Find around the same time they install network scanning software.

BloodHound, for example, employs the SharpHound ingestor, with a command-line.exe or PowerShell script. Its objective is to gather data about AD users, groups, and computers, as well as plan out pathways for escalating privileges to the domain administrators.

Ryuk and other well-known ransomware versions used Microsoft Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) to break into Active Directory servers and then inject ransomware into the AD logon script. Everyone who logged into that AD server was affected.

Disabling programs using software

When an attacker acquires administrative access, the first thing they normally do is stop or delete security software such as antivirus protection. GMER, PC Hunter, and Process Hacker are common examples of acceptable software removal applications.

The presence of these tools on the network will be detected by a logging solution. If you notice these tools, you should wonder why they’ve come so suddenly. Software removal apps, on the other hand, are a later warning sign of ransomware; they frequently imply that hackers have admin-level privileges. To prevent ransomware from executing, you must act swiftly – within 15 minutes or less — if you see software removal.

A Practice Run of Small-Scale Attacks

Hackers may frequently do small-scale dry runs to simulate a ransomware assault in order to identify any vulnerabilities in your network or endpoints. They’ll test whether they can successfully deploy ransomware on a small number of network devices. If that doesn’t work, they’ll try something else.

Conclusion:

If you think the money component of the ransom is the most evident effect of ransomware, well that’s just half the battle. Businesses must restore their systems and reinforce stronger cybersecurity protection. There’s also the lost productivity that comes with downed systems, as well as the time and effort it takes to fix them.  Paying the ransom, on the other hand, does not always result in operations being restored – it can also fuel criminal activity and result in bigger compliance violation fees. 

In any case, being infected with ransomware is a security team’s worst nightmare.

Related blog: Different kinds of ransomware attacks and their types

Do you feel like you’re a ransomware victim? Are you experiencing any of the signs we mention?

If ransomware is something on your mind and you would like to chat about it, please feel free to reach out.