We have recently caught sight of a mobile ransomware distributed by fake adult websites. It not only locks the device screen and display a warning supposedly coming from law enforcement—a tactic reminiscent of the Police Trojan that plagued desktops before—it also activates the unit’s front facing camera to add to its scare tactic. However, while it has routines unique to mobile ransomware, it also has a particular set of weaknesses that stand out.
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Every registered voter in the Philippines is now susceptible to fraud and other risks after a massive data breach leaked the entire database of the Philippines’ Commission on Elections (COMELEC). While initial reports have downplayed the impact of the leak, our investigations showed a huge number of sensitive personal identifiable information (PII)–including passport information and fingerprint data–are included in the data dump.
Read MoreAs if encrypting files and holding them hostage is not enough, cybercriminals who create and spread crypto-ransomware are now resorting to causing blue screen of death (BSOD) and putting their ransom notes at system startup—as in, even before the operating system loads. Imagine turning on your computer and instead of the usual Windows icon loading, you get a flashing red and white screen with a skull-and-crossbones instead.
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Breaches do not just die. 2015’s biggest cases showed us that data breaches do not end with their respective public disclosures. Just because the causes of compromise have been spotted and acknowledged does not mean the damage is done. Data was stolen. Networks were infiltrated and monitored. That kind of information, in the wrong hands, could be disastrous for any organization seeking to protect their customers and prevent any form of monetary loss or legal repercussion. Ashley Madison and the Hacking Team learned this the hard way when attackers and cybercriminals were able to utilize their data in further attacks.
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