GRTech

Sophos whitepaper reveals SamSam Ransomware has raked in almost $6m

Published

6 years ago

August 2, 2018

grassroots

Ransomware is universal and one of the greatest threats in cybersecurity currently. Extensive research by Sophos has uncovered a trove of new information on the notorious SamSam ransomware that has affected far more victims than previously thought, and raised vastly more in ransom demands – almost $6 million.

Most ransomware is spread in large, noisy and untargeted spam campaigns sent to thousands, or even hundreds of thousands, of people. They use simple techniques to infect victims and aim to raise money through large numbers of relatively small ransoms of perhaps a few hundred dollars each.

What sets SamSam apart from most other ransomware is that its use in targeted attacks by a skilled team or individual, who breaks into a victim’s network, surveils it and then runs the malware manually.

The attacks are tailored to cause maximum damage and ransom demands are measured in the tens of thousands of dollars.

The attack method is surprisingly manual, and more cat burglar than smash-and-grab. As a result, the attacker can employ countermeasures (if needed), and is surprisingly adept at evading many security tools. If the process of encrypting data is interrupted, then the malware comprehensively deletes all trace of itself immediately, to hinder investigation.

SamSam is a particularly thorough encryption tool, rendering not only work data files unusable but any program that isn’t essential to the operation of a Windows computer, most of which are not routinely backed up. Recovery may require reimaging and/or reinstalling software as well as restoring backups. The attacker is very good at covering their tracks and appears to be growing increasingly paranoid (or experienced) as time passes, gradually adding more security features into his tools and websites.

Key findings

The basics

The SamSam ransomware first appeared in the wild in December, 2015
Some victims reported a widespread ransomware event that significantly impacted operations of some large organizations, including hospitals, schools and cities
The attack details took some time to obtain because the attacker(s) responsible took great care to obfuscate their methods and delete any evidence that could be revealing
Many victims found that they could not recover sufficiently or quickly enough to ensure business continuity on their own, and reluctantly paid the ransom

The statistics

By tracking Bitcoin addresses supplied on ransom notes and sample files and by working with the firm Neutrino, Sophos has calculated that SamSam has earned its creator(s) more than US$5.9 million since late, 2015
Sophos has determined that 74% of the known victims are based in the United States. Other regions known to have suffered attacks include Canada, the UK, and the Middle East
The SamSam attacker has received ransom payments as high as $64,000, based on analysis of ransom payments to the Bitcoin wallets tracked
Unlike most other ransomware, SamSam encrypts not only document files, images, and other personal or work data, but also configuration and data files required to run applications (e.g., Microsoft Office). Victims whose backup strategy only protects the user’s documents and files won’t be able to recover a machine without reimaging it, first
Every subsequent attack shows a progression in sophistication and an increasing awareness of how to evade operational security
The cost victims are charged in ransom has increased dramatically, and the tempo of attacks shows no sign of slowdown

The balance sheet

Sophos estimates that the SamSam attacker earned an average of a hair under US$300,000* per month in 2018
From tracking Bitcoin payments made to known wallet addresses owned by the attacker, Sophos has calculated the SamSam take as exceeding US$5.9 million*
The largest single ransom received by the SamSam attacker was valued at $64,478* (at the time of payment)
Payment is made by victims in bitcoin via a custom “payment site” on the dark web that is at a unique address for each victim organization
The payment site lets the SamSam attacker interact directly with victims, who use a message board-like interface to communicate
The ransom amount varies widely by the organization, but has steadily increased over the time the ransomware has been in active use
After full payment has been received, the SamSam attacker moves the cryptocurrency into a system of tumblers and mixers which attempt to launder the source of the Bitcoin through myriad micro transactions

* Note: In order to accurately estimate costs, due to wildly fluctuating exchange rates, we calculate the value of a given quantity of Bitcoin as its worth on the day it was acquired by the SamSam attacker, if the SamSam attacker were immediately to cash it out

Recommended security practices

There is no silver bullet to security; an active and layered security model is the best practice
If you study the methodology, there are several points at which basic security measures can stop the SamSam attacker
Sophos recommends implementing these top four security practices right now:
1. Restricted access to port 3389 (RDP) by only allowing staff who use a VPN to be able to remotely access any systems. Utilize multi-factor authentication for VPN access
2. Complete, regular vulnerability scans and penetration tests across the network; if you haven’t followed through on recent pen-testing reports, do it now
3. Multi-factor authentication for sensitive internal systems, even for employees on the LAN or VPN
4. Create back-ups that are offline and offsite and develop a disaster recovery plan that covers the restoration of data and whole systems
Additional best security practices Sophos recommends are:
- Layered security that blocks attackers from all points of entry and from gaining access once inside a network
- Rigorous and diligent patching
- Server-specific security with Lockdown capabilities and anti-exploit protection, especially for unpatched systems
- Security that synchronizes and shares intelligence to activate lockdowns
- Endpoint and server security with credential theft protection
- Hard to crack and unique IT admin passwords with multi-factor authentication
- Improve password policies: Encourage employees to use secure password managers, longer passphrases and the non-reuse of passwords for multiple accounts – How to pick a proper password.
- Periodic assessments, using third party tools like Censys or Shodan, to identify publicly-accessible services and ports across your public-facing IP address space, then close them
- Improved account access controls: Enact sensible policies to secure idle accounts; automatically lock accounts and alert IT staff after a number of failed login attempts
- Regular phishing tests and staff education about the perils of phishing

For additional information on SamSam Ransomware please visit – https://www.sophos.com/en-us/medialibrary/PDFs/technical-papers/SamSam-The-Almost-Six-Million-Dollar-Ransomware.pdf

Source: TechEconomy.ng

GRTech

Sophos Partners with Tenable to Launch New Sophos Managed Risk Service

Published

4 weeks ago

April 4, 2024

grassroots

. New Fully Managed Solution Provides Visibility, Risk Monitoring, Prioritization, Investigation, and Proactive Notification to Prevent Cyberattacks

April 4, 2024 – Sophos, a global leader of innovative security solutions that defeat cyberattacks, today announced a strategic partnership with Tenable, the Exposure Management company, to provide Sophos Managed Risk, a worldwide vulnerability and attack surface management service.

The new service features a dedicated Sophos team that leverages Tenable’s exposure management technology and collaborates with the security operations experts from Sophos Managed Detection and Response (MDR) to provide attack surface visibility, continuous risk monitoring, vulnerability prioritization, investigation, and proactive notification designed to prevent cyberattacks.

The modern attack surface has expanded beyond traditional on-premises IT boundaries, with organizations operating frequently unknown numbers of external and internet-facing assets that are unpatched or under protected, leaving them vulnerable to cyberattackers.

This is evident in the newest Sophos Active Adversary Report, also released, which identifies three tasks that organizations must prioritize to minimize the risk of brazen intrusions that lead to ransomware or other types of attacks.

These include closing exposed Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) access, enabling multi-factor authorization and patching vulnerable servers, all of which were top entry points in breaches handled by Sophos Incident Response in 2023.

The Sophos Managed Risk service can assess an organization’s external attack surface, prioritize the riskiest exposures, such as open RDP, and provide tailored remediation guidance to help eliminate blind spots and stay ahead of potentially devastating attacks.

“Sophos and Tenable are two industry security leaders coming together to address urgent, pervasive security challenges that organizations continuously struggle to control. We can now help organizations identify and prioritize the remediation of vulnerabilities in external assets, devices and software that are often overlooked. It is critical that organizations manage these exposure risks, because unattended, they only lead to more costly and time-consuming issues and are often the root causes of significant breaches,” said Rob Harrison, senior vice president for endpoint and security operations product management at Sophos. “We know from Sophos’ worldwide survey data that 32% of ransomware attacks start with an unpatched vulnerability and that these attacks are the most expensive to remediate. The ideal security layers to prevent these issues include an active approach to improving security postures by minimizing the chances of a breach with Sophos Managed Risk, Sophos Endpoint, and 24×7 Sophos MDR coverage.”

“While the latest zero day may dominate the headlines, the biggest threat to organizations, by a large margin, is still known vulnerabilities – or vulnerabilities for which patches are readily available,” said Greg Goetz, vice president of global strategic partners and MSSP, Tenable. “A winning approach includes risk-based prioritization with context-driven analytics to proactively address exposures before they become a problem. Sophos Managed Risk, powered by the Tenable One Exposure Management Platform, delivers outsourced preventive risk management, enabling organizations to anticipate attacks and reduce cyber risk.”

Specific key benefits of Sophos Managed Risk include:

External Attack Surface Management (EASM): Advanced identification and classification of internet-facing assets, such as web and email servers, web applications, and public-facing API endpoints
Continuous monitoring and proactive notification of high-risk exposures: Proactive notification when a new critical vulnerability is identified in an organization’s internet-facing assets
Vulnerability prioritization and identification of new risks: Swift detection of high-risk and zero-day vulnerabilities, followed by real-time notification to ensure critical internet-facing assets are promptly identified, investigated and responded to by order of importance

“One of the biggest challenges organizations face when improving their security posture is prioritizing what to handle first. This type of guidance helps solve that issue and reduces the workload for security teams tasked with tackling vulnerability and exposure management,” said Craig Robinson, research vice president of Security Services, IDC. “Solutions such as Sophos Managed Risk can be a differentiator by enabling overwhelmed teams to take a more holistic approach to continuous monitoring and threat management.”

Sophos Managed Risk is available as an extended service with Sophos MDR, which already protects more than 21,000 organizations globally. The Sophos Managed Risk team is Tenable-certified and works closely with Sophos MDR to share essential information about zero-days, known vulnerabilities and exposure risks to assess and investigate possibly exploited environments.

“Sophos Managed Risk simplifies the difficult and resource consuming task of identifying vulnerabilities, really understanding the extent of risk exposure, and prioritizing necessary remediations,” said Kieron Stone, cybersecurity business development manager at Phoenix Software Ltd. “As a trusted managed service provider (MSP), this is a service we’re proud to stand behind, and nearly all our customers using it have already discovered significant vulnerabilities that they were previously unaware of. For organizations that don’t already have a well-defined vulnerability patching cadence, this is a must-have service for the identification of vulnerabilities and building that schedule; and for organizations that are already managing vulnerabilities, it’s a second set of eyes for added peace of mind that they’re not missing anything.”

Organizations benefit through regular interaction, including scheduled meetings with Sophos experts to review recent discoveries, insights into the current threat landscape, and recommendations for remediation and prioritizing actions. Additionally, organizations can initiate inquiries via the Sophos Central platform, allowing users to directly engage with the Sophos Managed Risk team for tailored support, reports and to review their latest prioritized alerts.

“You can’t fix what you can’t see. Sophos Managed Risk is shining a light on areas of exposure that require remediation in order to keep customers protected. Combining Sophos’ elite MDR experts with Tenable’s industry-leading exposure management technology gives us a full picture view of vulnerabilities with the guidance we need to minimize risk,” said Brooks Roy, president at Communications Consulting, Inc. “The real value add for us as a channel partner is having the ability to easily manage Sophos Managed Risk’s prioritized alerts across our customer base on the Sophos Central dashboard.”

Sophos Managed Risk is available with a term license through Sophos’ global network of channel partners and Managed Service Providers (MSPs). A Sophos MSP Flex version will be available in 2024.

TechNews

inq.Digital Supports Payments Forum Nigeria [PAFON 1.0]

Published

1 month ago

March 19, 2024

grassroots

PAFON SPEAKERS

Inq. Digital Nigeria Limited has been announced as a sponsor of Payments Forum Nigeria [PAFON 1.0] maiden edition holding this Thursday in Lagos.

inq. Digital Nigeria Limited, a subsidiary of inq. Group is an emerging leading digital and cloud solutions provider that delivers simpler seamless solutions to complex business challenges.

With offices in Lagos, Abuja, Port Harcourt and Kano, inq. provides reliable and affordable Intelligent Connectivity, SDN/NFV, Cloud and Digital services (including Edge –AI) for Nigerian businesses including those in the payment space.

Participation is FREE, however, pre-registration is required: https://bit.ly/4c4N19H.

Speaking ahead of Payments Forum Nigeria [PAFON 1,0] scheduled to take place at Oriental Hotel, Lekki Road, Lagos on Thursday, March 21, 2024 by 9am under the theme: “Payments: Trust, Security and Privacy in AI Era”, Mr. Chike Onwuegbuchi, the co-founder of TechCastle Foundation, the organisers, said the goal is to enable information exchange and knowledge sharing on key industry insights issues amongst key stakeholders, with the objective of ensuring a collaborative and proactive approach to push for policies that enable growth, tackling/mitigating fraud and limiting occurrences and losses.

Speakers

The following speakers are lined up for the Forum: Chibuzo Efobi, Director, Payments System Management, Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN); Festus Amede, Chairman, Committee of Chief Information Security Officers of Nigerian Financial institutions (CCISONFI; Dr. Adewale Peter Obadare, Chief Visionary Officer (CVO), Digital Encode Limited; Adetokunbo Omotosho, Chief Executive Officer, Cybervergent; Roosevelt Elias, Founder, Payble; Ikenna Ndugbu, chief compliance officer, Moniepoint MFB, and Peter Evbota, Sales Director at inq. Digital Nigeria Limited.

Payments Forum Nigeria is organised by TechCastle Foundation and sponsored by: inq. Digital Nigeria Limited, Cybervergent, Moniepoint, Digital Encode Limited, Payble with support from the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).

GRTech

S Mobile Tech Hub Opens Registration to Entrepreneurs in Southeast

Published

1 month ago

March 15, 2024

Alice Ginika Simon

Kingsely Adonu, founder and CEO, S Mobile Group

•⁠ ⁠500 successful candidates to get starter-packs

•⁠ ⁠Rolls our Free Data, Airtime to Civil Servants, Students, others

S Mobile Tech Hub, an offspring of S Mobile Group has open applications to technology entrepreneurs in the Southeast Nigeria.

S Mobile Tech Hub was recently conceived by Mr. Kingsley Adonu, a visionary entrepreneur and CEO/Founder S Mobile Group, who aims to manifest the Group’s deliberate programmes towards building a dynamic and vibrant startup ecosystem in eastern region of the country.

APPLY by visiting www.smobilegroup.com to register.

Speaking against this backdrop, Mr. Adonu, said that even against tremendous challenges faced by the youth in the Southeast, they must be actively engaged in digital skills development in order to eschew social vices and make positive contributions towards maintaining peace and progress in the region.

“Unfortunately, a lot of our young people are facing numerous barriers to participating in formal and informal sectors today. In December 2015, the United Nations Security Council adopted UNSCR 2250 on Youth, Peace and Security. The resolution was the first to recognise the important role young people can play in preventing conflicts, and sustaining peace.

“It is on this premise and more that S Mobile is thinking out of the box by extending digital skills programmes to empower the youth to be more economically relevant. This will also go a long way in supporting the efforts of the Governors in the Southeast who are not resting on their oars until we have crime-free society with less poverty index.

“S Mobile Tech Hub has been positioned as a platform for entrepreneurs to leverage trends to accelerate their skills and innovation especially in the areas of artificial intelligence, robotics, big data, etc., which have become embedded in our daily lives.

“We are rolling out free data and airtime to civil servants, students, farmers and other entrepreneurs, for connecting with MTN Nigeria services.

Also during the cohort 1 of S Mobile Tech Hub programme 500 successful technology entrepreneurs across the Southeast region will be sponsored with the starter-tools to live their dreams.

“Together, let’s turn technology into your personal pathway to empowerment, growth, and societal well-being. Don’t just dream about a brighter tomorrow; let’s build it together today!”, the company said on Wednesday.