Update on Malvertising:Ransomware

  It seems that criminals no longer need to kidnap a family member to demand a ransom; instead, internet criminals have developed a ransomware to go after your money. Most internet users know to be weary of certain websites and advertisements in order to protect your computer from viruses and having malware downloaded. However, malicious advertisements have now started to appear on common domains such as Disney, Facebook, and the Guardian newspaper websites

     Most internet users believe these major sites to be a safe place to browse and check out the various interest-based advertisements, but Cisco Systems recently discovered while monitoring their own user's browsing, that certain advertisements on popular domains are being tampered with by an outside third party. The malicious advertisements are rerouting users to another domain and instantly installing a Rig Exploit Kit after guessing the users login's and passwords. Once installed, the malware locks all of the user’s data access and installs a ransomware called Cryptowall that demands a ransom from the user in order to regain full access to the user’s data. 

     Cisco recently worked with law enforcement to shut down some of these attacks, but they have not been able to learn who is behind the attacks, and how to fully stop them from happening. The problems that arise is that these malvertisements are extremely difficult for websites to detect or even know that they are being tampered with by an outside party. Along with that, these attacks could be made by more than one person, making it more difficult to track exactly where the source of these attacks are coming from. Finally, with the constant changes and upgrades in software and technology, unraveling these attacks and understanding them is only getting increasingly more difficult as time goes on. Law enforcement and Cisco are still working towards a solution. 

      As internet users, it is important to note that the malware seeks out users who are running unpatched versions of Flash, Java or Silverlight Mutlimedia programs. Also, if ransomware is installed into your computer, the longer you wait to pay, the larger the ransom becomes, so be sure to alert authorities immediately! As tempting as it is to be seduced by Facebook and Disney's online advertising, with the danger of Malvertising on the rise and the threat of Ransomware, take caution on what advertisements you decide to click on, or simply avoid them altogether. 

To learn more about Malvertising and Ransomware, read the full article at Network World.
To learn how TCG can help protect your business from internet criminals, check out our Business Continuity page and our Systems Management page.