Tag Archive for: smash

Big Game Hackers Smash $1 Billion Ransomware Barrier


It has been reported that last year was the worst on record for cryptocurrency payments received by ransomware groups. According to the Chainalysis Crypto Crime Report for 2024, published on February 7, crypto-criminals have finally broken the elusive $1 billion in ransomware barrier for ransoms paid in a single year. Big game hackers played a significant role in beefing up the ransom demands, although they are not solely responsible for this watershed moment in the sad history of ransomware successes. This discovery by Chainalysis sheds light on what it means for the year ahead when it comes to this particular genre of cybercrime activity.

The $1 Billion Ransomware Payment Barrier Smashed In 2023

Blockchain analysts for Chainalysis tallied up the totals in paid ransoms using crypto-currency for 2023 and found it had broken the $1 billion barrier for the first time, reaching $1.1 billion. This compares to $567 million across 2022, a flagship year for law enforcement takedowns. The 2021 total is more comparable as it reached $983 million then. Indeed, the trend line for ransomware payments since 2019 is undoubtedly on an upward trajectory overall.

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Most worryingly, the Chainalysis report expects things to get worse, much worse. “The ransomware landscape is not only prolific but continually expanding, making it challenging to monitor every incident or trace all ransom payments made in cryptocurrencies,” it says, continuing, “It is important to recognize that our figures are conservative estimates, likely to increase as new ransomware addresses are discovered over time.” As to how much that readjustment might be, the totals for 2022 were eventually revised upward by 24.1%.

Ransomware On The Rise For 2024

Much of this upward trend for ransom payments has been driven by what is known as a big game hunting strategy. These big game hackers, perhaps best exemplified by the Cl0p ransomware group, choose bigger targets with average ransoms above $1 million. Although these groups carry out fewer attacks than…

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Holding down the Enter key can smash through Linux’s defenses

Got 70 seconds? Holding down the Enter key can smash through Linux's defenses

An attacker can abuse a vulnerability to launch a shell with root privileges on most Linux machines… just by holding down the ‘Enter’ key for 70 seconds.

David Bisson reports.

Graham Cluley

Cyber crims smash through Windows into the great beyond – Register

Cyber crims smash through Windows into the great beyond
Register
The most sophisticated malware types seen to date, from Stuxnet to Flame, were Windows based. But a host of examples hint that both data-stealing malware and financial Trojans have started showing a fondness for Apple Macs. Although it is supposed to

flame malware – read more

Trojan Turns Smash & Grab Into Grab & Smash – Washington Post

Trojan Turns Smash & Grab Into Grab & Smash Washington Post … her computer was corrupted on purpose by the attackers, in a bid to buy them time, said Ben Greenbaum, senior researcher manager with Symantec Security … and more