{"id":2572,"date":"2022-05-14T05:25:40","date_gmt":"2022-05-13T23:55:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.wikitechupdates.com\/?p=2572"},"modified":"2022-05-14T05:25:40","modified_gmt":"2022-05-13T23:55:40","slug":"common-ways-ransomware-spreads","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.wikitechupdates.com\/common-ways-ransomware-spreads\/","title":{"rendered":"5 Common Ways Ransomware Spreads"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span class=\"s3\">Ransomware is becoming the most dangerous threat by cybercriminals trying their luck for easy money. <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.mimecast.com\/content\/ransomware-attacks\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span class=\"s4\">Ransomware attacks<\/span><\/a><span class=\"s3\"> directly target victims by encrypting their computer files and holding them for ransom.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span class=\"s3\">The idea is that you must pay, or else your network will forever be held hostage. Although you cannot protect your network against all the methods criminals have to deploy their attacks, it is helpful to understand how these attacks spread.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_58 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-grey ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-655ddd1731ba2\" class=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-label\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\"  id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-655ddd1731ba2\"  aria-label=\"Toggle\" \/><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/www.wikitechupdates.com\/common-ways-ransomware-spreads\/#1_Emails\" title=\"1. Emails\">1. Emails<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/www.wikitechupdates.com\/common-ways-ransomware-spreads\/#2_Malicious_URLs\" title=\"2. Malicious URLs\">2. Malicious URLs<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/www.wikitechupdates.com\/common-ways-ransomware-spreads\/#3_Remote_Desktop_Protocol_RDP\" title=\"3. Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP)\">3. Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP)<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/www.wikitechupdates.com\/common-ways-ransomware-spreads\/#4_USB_drives_and_portable_computers\" title=\"4. USB drives and portable computers\">4. USB drives and portable computers<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/www.wikitechupdates.com\/common-ways-ransomware-spreads\/#5_Malvertising_Malicious_Advertising\" title=\"5. Malvertising (Malicious Advertising)\u00a0\">5. Malvertising (Malicious Advertising)\u00a0<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h2 class=\"s6\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"1_Emails\"><\/span>1. <span class=\"s5\"><span class=\"bumpedFont15\">Emails<\/span><\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span class=\"s3\">Ransomware attacks are often distributed through email. These emails typically encourage the recipient to open an attachment or click a link that carries malicious software. They may look like very common email attachments, including PDFs, Word documents, ZIP files, etc. However, once the attachment or link is opened, the attack can be deployed at any time. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span class=\"s3\">Ransomware attacks are usually carried out by attackers that research their victims to create emails that look legitimate and very believable. The more credible the email seems the more likely the target is to click the attachment.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2 class=\"s6\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"2_Malicious_URLs\"><\/span>2. <span class=\"s5\"><span class=\"bumpedFont15\">Malicious URLs<\/span><\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span class=\"s3\">Another tactic used by <\/span><span class=\"s3\">cyberattackers<\/span><span class=\"s3\"> is the use of malicious links to deploy ransomware through social media and other messaging applications. To encourage the victim to click the malicious URL, the messages are made to appear very urgent or appealing to the target.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span class=\"s3\">Clicking on the link triggers the ransomware download, which then encrypts your system and holds your data for ransom.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span class=\"s3\">So, sometimes people are casually slipping into your DMs offering to make you famous, but other times they&#8217;re criminals attempting to deploy a ransomware attack \u2013 Beware!<\/span><\/p>\n<h2 class=\"s6\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"3_Remote_Desktop_Protocol_RDP\"><\/span>3. <span class=\"s5\"><span class=\"bumpedFont15\">Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP)<\/span><\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span class=\"s3\">If your office space is now in your home because you&#8217;re a remote worker, RDP has become a growing tactic for cybercriminals to deploy a ransomware attack. RDP allows users to connect to an in-office device from anywhere with an internet connection. Criminals can infiltrate a network connection that may be weak; or by physically connecting to the machine that they are attempting to compromise.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span class=\"s3\">If successful, the criminals can gain the ability to disable your anti-virus software, delete your backups, and install the ransomware into your machine.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span class=\"s3\">The kicker is that they may leave a &#8220;backdoor&#8221; that they can use for potential future attacks.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2 class=\"s6\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"4_USB_drives_and_portable_computers\"><\/span>4. <span class=\"s5\"><span class=\"bumpedFont15\">USB drives and portable computers<\/span><\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span class=\"s3\">Another common method for deploying a ransomware attack is by utilizing a USB drive or a laptop to spread the malicious software. Connecting the infected device can lead to the ransomware encrypting the device and potentially spreading across the organization&#8217;s network.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span class=\"s3\">So, an employee could be responsible for installing the malware on a company&#8217;s network entirely by accident as they wouldn&#8217;t know it&#8217;s on the USB or portable computer. Once this happens, the ransomware will start to infiltrate local files to encrypt data. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h2 class=\"s6\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"5_Malvertising_Malicious_Advertising\"><\/span>5. <span class=\"s5\"><span class=\"bumpedFont15\">Malvertising<\/span><\/span><span class=\"s5\"><span class=\"bumpedFont15\"> (Malicious Advertising)\u00a0<\/span><\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span class=\"s3\">Malvertising<\/span><span class=\"s3\"> is becoming a popular method for cybercriminals to deliver a ransomware attack. These advertisements appear to be legitimate, and, in fact, they are legitimate advertisements displayed on the internet like any other. However, these ads are linked to an exploit kit. So, when you click on the ad, the malicious software scans your system to detect a vulnerability. That vulnerability is then exploited for the ransomware attack.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span class=\"s3\">Your company needs to prioritize its security to prevent cyberattacks in a technologically driven world. If your data is encrypted and held for ransom, your business operations could face challenges it cannot endure.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Ransomware is becoming the most dangerous threat by cybercriminals trying their luck for easy money.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2574,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false,"jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false}}},"categories":[29],"tags":[4285],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.wikitechupdates.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/A957684E-BF42-4267-B4D1-9C03EA1CE79D.jpeg?fit=701%2C438&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":3296,"url":"https:\/\/www.wikitechupdates.com\/company-data-leaks\/","url_meta":{"origin":2572,"position":0},"title":"The Big Problem Of Company Data Leaks","author":"Admin","date":"31 October 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"Nowadays, data leaks \/ leakage poses huge problems for both companies and their respective customers. 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It is defined as the unfair use of another person\u2019s or organization\u2019s computer system, resources, or networks. 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