In the last few years, ransomware has become one of the most dangerous cyber threats. Ransomware is a type of malware that encrypts data on a victim’s computer and then demands payment in order to decrypt it. These attacks can be devastating for businesses and individuals, and they are only going to get more common in the future. Here are 10 of the most dangerous ransomware attacks in 2022.
Pysa Ransomware Attack
The Pysa ransomware attack is predicted to be one of the worst yet. Ransomware will infect a computer’s BIOS, which is located on the motherboard, and stores data about how it operates. This ransomware holds “the randomization process hostage” by encrypting it. Once the encryption occurs, the computer will not start up properly and become essentially useless. However, what is most terrifying about this form of ransomware is that once it has taken over a victim’s machine, there may be no way to decrypt their files or even stop the malware from spreading further.
Ransoc Ransomware Attack
Even users who make backups may not be safe from this type of ransomware attack in 2022. Similar to Pysaware attack above, this cyber threat infects a computer BIOS and holds the randomization process hostage. But, this ransomware does so in order to demand even higher ransom fees than typical cyber attackers. Ransoc will ask for thousands of dollars and threaten to destroy data or disclose victims’ sensitive information if it is not paid promptly.
Petya Payload Attack
This type of ransomware attack targets whole networks as opposed to just individuals. This new form of ransomware will encrypt entire computers’ hard drives without any way to undo the encryption. Once this form of malware has taken over a victim’s machine, their best hope is that they have backups made prior to infection or that the network itself has backups saved on another server. Otherwise, all files may be lost forever once an attack has taken place.
CryptoHost Ransomware Attack
This ransomware attack is unique because it will encrypt files that are located on cloud storage platforms rather than just those stored on individual computers. Servers and other networks may be harder for cyber attackers to gain access to, so they may instead seek out popular cloud services like Dropbox or Google Drive to infect as many machines as possible. Once hackers have infiltrated these servers, their ransomware will spread rapidly throughout the platform, making it almost impossible for victims to stop the cyber threat from affecting them.
Wstrnetskrat Ransomware Attack
Most sophisticated malware attacks consist of multiple stages due to increased difficulty hackers face when trying to infiltrate well-secured servers and networks. Further, security researchers have shown that the majority of cyber attacks contain coding mistakes and other forms of errors that can potentially weaken their effectiveness. As a result, hackers will often send out waves of ransomware to increase the likelihood that at least one attack successfully takes hold and spreads throughout an entire network or platform.
Wcry Attack
This form of malware is similar to Cryptolocker in that it encrypts data on a victim’s computer and then demands payment for appropriate decryption keys. However, unlike Cryptolocker, this type of ransomware does not target specific file types but rather all files on an entire machine. This means even if users are able to recover some encrypted data by paying ransom fees, they may not be able to access critical documents, pictures, videos, etc., that their hard drive holds due to these cyber threats.
Jigsaw Ransomware Attack
This type of ransomware is set to become one of the most high-profile forms by targeting those sites that are almost impossible for users to avoid, such as Netflix and Facebook. Hackers may use ransomware attacks like JigSaw in an attempt to infiltrate popular websites and hold them hostage by encrypting webpage files. If victims do not pay ransom fees within a short period of time, hackers will publish all encrypted files online for everyone — including other potential cyber attackers — to see and possibly take advantage of.
Locky’s Return Attack
Although Locky ransomware has seemingly disappeared from headlines lately, security researchers believe this particular form of malware attack will be back with a vengeance in the near future. Hackers behind Locky typically delete ransomware files once victims have paid up, but due to advanced security measures plaguing many of today’s networks, they may be forced to abandon their own coding mistakes and leave them behind for others to discover. This “new” form of Locky will likely be stronger than before as hackers are now more likely to leverage these cyber threats against more unsuspecting users who have not yet taken preventative security measures.
Doxware Attack
This type of attack is similar to ransomware except that it does not encrypt digital data on victims’ computers or devices. Instead, Doxware attacks will use social engineering tactics to sell victims’ sensitive information online through very public means such as Twitter, Facebook, or Tumblr. By using these platforms to release sensitive data online in a very open and public fashion, hackers hope to keep victims from paying the ransom fees because the chances of their identities being discovered grow higher with each passing day that they fail to pay off these cybercriminals.
Servers Under Siege Attack
Armed with zero-day vulnerabilities, this form of ransomware attack will be able to infiltrate servers and encrypt files located on these networks and across individual computer systems. Hackers may choose targeted entities such as banks and financial institutions, given that if even one server is compromised, it can cause innumerable problems for those affected by this malware attack. The damage caused by Servers Under Siege could also prevent business owners from accessing critical data resulting in lost revenue, a damaged reputation, and a severely hampered ability to continue operations.
No End in Sight
The world we live in today is progressively moving towards a digital society and more and more people are using smartphones, tablets, laptops, etc., which leave them open to cyber attacks. The hackers behind ransomware usually get what they want from victims who either pay or face the possibility of very private and sensitive information being exposed online for anyone to see. As these types of malware attacks continue to increase at an exponential rate, effective security measures must be taken immediately in order to mitigate the risk posed by these forms of cyber threats.