Ransomware has been getting a lot of headlines most recently, but a new version of ransomware has arrived and it is even more dangerous than its predecessors. It’s called Ransom-Cloud and it has the power to encrypt cloud-based emails and files.
In the below video, white-hat hacker Kevin Mitnick demonstrates how a Ransom-Cloud attack works.
What is Ransom-Cloud?
For those that don’t know, Ransomware is malicious software developed by cyber criminals that has the power to encrypt your data. The only way to decrypt it again, is to pay the criminals’ ransom. Up to this point, ransomware has been targeted towards encrypting the data on a users computer, or their entire network depending on the attack.
In these attacks, many users consoled themselves with the fact that they may have had their emails or files stored in the cloud as well, with the likes of Office 365 or GSuite. Ransom-Cloud however targets your data in the cloud, encrypting your Office 365 or GSuite emails and files.
How does Ransom-Cloud Work?
As usual, the attacker starts with a phishing email, most commonly branded to appear as if it has been sent officially from Microsoft. The email tells you that “Microsoft” have released a new piece of anti-spam software that improves your cloud security.
Once the user clicks on the link to the new software, they are prompted to grant permissions to the new application so it can have access and monitor their emails – in the same way as many email and cloud extensions do.
Once they click “Accept”, the software can access the users cloud-based emails and files and encrypt them at will. Or, they could decide to take over your email account and target any one of your contacts, masquerading as you!
How can I protect myself and my business from Ransom-Cloud?
There are two ways to protect yourself and your business from Ransom-Cloud attacks:
- Cloud Backups
The first is by ensuring you have a backup system in place for your cloud-based emails and files. Many unfortunate users are going to find out the hard way that standard Office 365 does not back up your emails or files. If your emails are encrypted and you don’t have them backed up, then that’s it – there’s simply nothing you can do. At Datum Consulting we provide email backup as a standard with our Datum Protect email protection package. - Phishing Protection
Ransom-Cloud attacks use the same similar methods as regular Ransomware attacks, they start with phishing. Ensuring your business is fully equipped to handle phishing attacks is one of the best things you can do to protect against Ransom-Cloud. Datum Consulting provides email security solutions to businesses to protect against these attacks.
