Pay Or Else:
DDOS RANSOM ATTACKS
Mention “ransom attack” and most IT security professionals immediately think of ransomware, a virulent kind of malware that, once in a network, can encrypt or block files or even entire systems. The attacker then demands a ransom payment to restore access. In recent years, however, the attacks have become far more widespread and damaging as more bad actors have created more families of ransomware to exploit ever more vulnerabilities.
The surge in these DDoS-based ransom threats, known as Ransom Distributed Denial of Service (RDDoS) attacks, is very bad news. While conventional ransomware attacks are still a threat, organizations can take effective preventive action against the malware they require. They can provide user education about phishing and spear-phishing (the most common insertion methods), for example, and employ tools to detect, quarantine and remediate any suspected malware infection.
But RDDoS attacks don’t require malware, so these tools are worthless against them – leaving more enterprises more vulnerable to a rapidly growing threat.
Late in 2020, however, the number of RDDoS attacks exploded. The threats became so prevalent and dangerous that the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) issued a nationwide alert, calling attention to their scope and intensity.
In addition to the sheer number of attacks, the current wave differs from earlier ones in other important ways