Who is attempting to extort Australian health insurer Medibank? Why did Medibank tell its attackers it wouldn't pay a ransom? Will this deter future cyber extortionists? Here are a few thoughts on the high cybercrime drama playing out.
Cybersecurity basics are still an overlooked ransomware defense, Lindy Cameron, CEO of the National Cyber Security Center, told the CyberScotland Summit in Scotland. "We still think that 90% of incidents in the U.K. could have been prevented if people had followed the basics," she said.
Embattled Australian private health insurer Medibank says it won't pay hackers' extortion demand, saying it can't trust cybercriminals to delete personal data. A ransomware gang claiming affiliation with REvil is threatening to publish the data, which Medibank says affects 9.7 million individuals.
Ransomware-as-a-service group LockBit is threatening the release of data it says it stole from German auto parts maker Continental. The company in August acknowledged an incident involving its IT systems, but didn't respond Friday with additional information.
In the latest weekly update, ISMG editors share how amateur tactics employed by ransomware gangs are leading fewer victims to pay ransoms, why traditional identity controls can't protect against the growing authorized payment scams, and highlights from ISMG's Crypto and Payments Summit.
Tributes are being paid to Vitali Kremez, who has died at the age of 34 in a suspected scuba-diving accident. The renowned threat intelligence expert, born in Belarus, had long tracked Russian cybercrime syndicates and was part of an ad hoc group established to counter ransomware and help victims.
The latest edition of the ISMG Security Report discusses how Australian health insurer Medibank is deliberating on whether to pay a ransom to extortionists, analyzes the growing number of layoffs in the security vendor space, and shares a tribute to threat intelligence researcher Vitali Kremez.
A Japanese hospital in Osaka stopped offering anything but emergency care after hackers launched a Monday morning ransomware attack on the electronic medical records system. Hospital officials say the prospects of system recovery are not good.
The Biden administration-led International Counter Ransomware Initiative that includes three dozen countries and the European Union ended a two-day huddle at the White House, emerging to vow more data-sharing and anti-money laundering measures from cryptocurrency trading platforms.
Ransomware attacks pose the biggest cybersecurity threat to U.K. organizations, particularly hospitals and schools, the country’s National Cyber Security Centre warns. So far in 2022, 18 ransomware attacks have required nation-level coordinated efforts to mitigate the threats, it adds.
Should Australia's Medibank health insurer pay extortionists to prevent the release of sensitive medical documents related to millions of Australians? There's no easy answer to remedying what is the most severe cybercriminal incident in Australian history.
Many ransomware-wielding attackers - including big-name groups - have been collectively shooting themselves in the foot by resorting to "amateur" tactics, including decryptors that fail to decrypt as well as gangs re-extorting the same victims. Cue fewer victims opting to pay a ransom.
Fallout from the hack of Australian health insurer Medibank continues to worsen as the company twice this week acknowledged a wider set of affected individuals. Hackers had access to the personal data of 4 million individuals and significant amounts of health claims data.
Nearly one month after a ransomware attack on the nation's fourth-largest hospital network, CommonSpirit Health is still struggling to bring online the various IT systems - including electronic medical records, prescriptions and patient appointment scheduling - affected at many of its facilities.
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