Tag Archive for: Region

Ransomware returns with a vengeance, U.S. hardest hit region

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cyber criminal hacking system at monitors hacker hands at work internet crime concept hacker steals. Generative AI. Credit: 2ragon/Adobe Stock From July 2022-June 2023, there were approximately 1,900 reported ransomware events in the U.S., Germany, France and the U.K. and more than 2,400 among the 10 most targeted countries, Malwarebytes, Inc. reports. Credit: 2ragon/Adobe Stock

While 2022 saw a decline in the number of ransomware incidents, for a few reasons, these cyberattacks are coming back in style with the U.S. seeing a 75% increase in ransomware events between the first half and second half of the past 12 months, according to Malwarebytes, Inc.

From July 2022-June 2023, there were approximately 1,900 reported ransomware events in the U.S., Germany, France and the U.K., and more than 2,400 among the 10 most targeted countries.

The U.S. saw the bulk of these attacks, accounting for 43% of all global ransomware incents during the period, according to Malwarebytes. The U.S. had 1,462 reported ransomware events in the past 12 months, while the U.K., which was the second most targeted region, saw just 196.

Additionally, ransomware gangs are becoming more prolific in the volume of attacks in the U.S. From July-December 2022, only two groups managed to pull off 15 or more attacks in a single month. From January-June 2023, at least seven groups pulled off 15 or more attacks per month.

Further, five groups were able to record more than 100 attacks during the past 12 months. This includes more than 286 attacks by LockBit, which heavily targeted insurers during 2022′s first quarter and has more than 100 affiliates. LockBit is the most dominant form of ransomware-as-a-service in the U.S., averaging about 24 attacks each month.

While LockBit continued to be the most active ransomware group, the CL0P gang and its use of zero-day vulnerabilities is of particular note, according to Malwarebytes. Twice during the past 12 months CL0P’s rate of attack vastly exceeded that of LockBit. These incidents included the March 2023 GoAnywhere MFT event and the MOVEit breach in late May.

Further, CL0P’s embrace of zero-day vulnerabilities, which exploit a security flaw that has yet to be patched, could signal a shift in hackers’ tactics, Malwarebytes reported. CL0P’s recent exploits show that ransomware gangs can handle the cost…

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India 2nd most targeted by ransomware in Asia Pacific, Japan region in 2022

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India is the second most targeted country by ransomware in the Asia-Pacific and Japan region in 2022, up from spot 3 in 2021, a new report said on Tuesday.


In 2022, Maharashtra was the most-targeted state with 36 per cent of ransomware attacks, while New Delhi was at second, according to the Palo Alto Networks 2023 Unit 42 Ransomware and Extortion report.


“Ransomware and extortion groups are forcing their victims into a pressure cooker, with the ultimate goal of increasing their chances of getting paid,” said Wendi Whitmore, senior vice president and head of Unit 42 at Palo Alto Networks.


Moreover, the report mentioned that manufacturing, construction, and professional & legal services were the most targeted industries.


The most active ransomware groups include Lockbit 2.0, BianLian, and Stormous.


Further, the report found that data theft was the most common of the extortion tactics, with 70 per cent of groups using it by late 2022 — a 30 per cent increase from the year prior.


Organisations based in the US were most severely publicly affected, with 42 per cent of the observed leaks in 2022, followed by Germany and the UK, accounting for nearly 5 per cent each.


The report also said that 30 organisations on the Forbes Global 2000 list were publicly impacted by extortion attempts in 2022.


Since 2019, at least 96 of these organisations have had confidential files publicly exposed to some degree as part of attempted extortion.


–IANS


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(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)


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Security Implications In Context Of Kashmir Region – Eurasia Review

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The union territory of Jammu and Kashmir has been subjected to many internet shutdowns in recent years, including the longest ever enforced in a democracy, lasting 145 days due to the repeal of Article 370,i which granted the state special status. However, instead of entirely shutting down the internet, the government frequently slows it down while also restricting the number of sites that an individual may visit.ii 

The government’s main objective has been social media, which has been put to sleep throughout the lockdowns. During this period, the Virtual Private Network (VPN) comes in handy for residents, allowing them to access government-banned websites, notably social media. This has become a major security concern since the government believes that the VPN is mostly used to spread incorrect and fabricated facts, causing societal instability while also providing information to secessionist groups, compromising national security. So, in order to prevent all of this from happening, the state has prohibited the usage of VPN services, and any person discovered engaging in this behaviour will suffer legal consequences.iii

Introduction

VPN (Virtual Private Network) refers to the ability to establish a secure network connection when utilising public networks. VPNs encrypt your internet traffic and conceal your identity online. This makes it more difficult for third parties to follow your internet activities and steal information. The encryption happens in real time. A VPN conceals your IP address by routing it through a specially configured distant server maintained by a VPN host. iv

This implies that if you use a VPN to access the web, the VPN server becomes the source of your data. This means that your ISP and other third parties cannot know which websites you visit or what data you transmit and receive online. A VPN acts as a filter, converting all of your data into “gibberish.v” Even if someone were to obtain your data, it would be worthless. The VPN boom in Kashmir finds its genesis in various lockdowns which puts a haul in normalcy of day-to-day activities. The exponential rise in use of VPN was seen after the abrogation of article 370 of the Indian constitution when…

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Jihadi groups’ strategic objectives amid political crisis in the Middle East Region

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 The Middle East and the geopolitical and economic importance of this region

The Middle East, which is a geopolitical region of about 17 countries and eight islands, which the these countries included such as: Bahrain, Cyprus, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Palestine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Turkey, United Arab Emirates and Yemen. In addition, if the independence of North Cyprus gets international recognition, then North Cyprus will be the 18th country in the Middle East, and even now in some writings and research reports, North Cyprus is called the Middle East country. However, North Cyprus is still recognized by the United Nations as a part of the island of Cyprus. The largest country in the Middle East in terms of area is Saudi Arabia, and the most populous countries in the Middle East are Egypt, Iran and Turkey.

The eight islands of the Middle East are Arabia, Asia Minor, Eastern Thrace, Egypt, Iran, Levant, Mesopotamia, and the Socotra Islands. Geopolitical and economic importance of the Middle East: The Middle East is a bridge between the three major continents because the Middle East is a connecting tissue between Europe, Africa and Asia. The Middle East has gained geopolitical importance by having some of the world’s most important trade routes, important canals such as the Suez Canal, the Turkish Straits, the Straits of Hormuz and the Straits of Gibraltar, and military strategic checkpoints.

The vast oil resources of the Middle East, strategic trade routes, Middle Eastern territory, and ideas have given strategic importance to the geography of the Middle East. Oil and petroleum are the most widely available resources in the Middle East and the economies of many Asian, European and Western countries rely on the oil reserves of the Middle East. The Middle East produces almost 31 percent of the world’s oil because five of the ten countries that produce the most oil in the world are located in the Middle East, and besides oil, the Middle East produces 41 percent of the world’s natural gas.

In addition to having vast and inexhaustible natural oil reserves, sea trade routes and canals play an important role in…

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