The most notable ransomware-as-a-service (RaaS) groups are well-known for the widely publicized attacks they conduct, even outside of the cybersecurity community. However, there also exist smaller, very short-lived groups that use ransomware derived from existing variants. They’re often considered “unsophisticated” threat groups, and may be taken less seriously than that by a higher-level organization. How […]
When discussing the ever-changing ransomware threat landscape, we often talk about what devices threat actors will target next. In addition to mobile devices, the other technology I get asked about the most is “Internet of Things” (IoT), and whether we should expect threat actors to begin going after the “smart” products in our homes or […]
With the Russian invasion of Ukraine came the deployment of several destructive malware families, known as “wipers,” against entities in Ukraine, with nine distinct variants observed to date. The first two, WhisperGate and HermeticWiper/PartyTicket, masqueraded as ransomware, but they were actually destructive tools rather than legitimate ransomware. This raises an important question: What’s the difference […]
Initial access vectors are the methods threat actors use to first gain access to an organization’s systems. They can include exploitation of vulnerabilities, stolen credentials, phishing, or brute-forcing services like RDP or SSH. Many of these accesses can be purchased from threat actors who specialize in obtaining initial access, known as Initial Access Brokers. The […]
This month, our focus is on living-off-the-land techniques, and why they help ransomware threat actors execute attacks more stealthily. The concept of living-off-the-land (LotL) was first introduced by researchers to the broader security community in 2013, and has remained popular with threat actors ever since. Common LotL Techniques The binaries used in living-off-the-land are sometimes […]
I’m Lindsay, a malware analyst and reverse engineer, with a special enthusiasm for obfuscation and anti-reverse engineering techniques used in malware! I am also a woman in the field of cybersecurity. I am often asked “How did you get into cybersecurity?” or “What advice would you give young women interested in cybersecurity?” There are many […]
