Technology
'Ransomware attacks to morph into 2-stage extortion campaigns'
New Delhi, Dec 5
Ransomware attacks are set to morph into two-stage extortion campaigns and criminals will exploit their extortion victims even more in 2020, cyber security company McAfee said on Thursday.
According to McAfee's "Advanced Threat Research (ATR)", the rise of targeted ransomware has created a growing demand for compromised corporate networks. This demand is met by criminals who specialise in penetrating corporate networks and sell complete network access in one go.
"For 2020, we predict the targeted penetration of corporate networks will continue to grow and ultimately give way to two-stage extortion attacks.
"In the first stage, cybercriminals will deliver a crippling ransomware attack, extorting victims to get their files back. In the second stage, criminals will target the recovering ransomware victims again with an extortion attack but this time they will threaten to disclose the sensitive data stolen before the ransomware attack," McAfee said in a statement.
A very viable threat vector will emerge and adversaries will begin to generate deepfakes to bypass facial recognition, the cyber security firm predicted.
It will be critical for businesses to understand the security risks presented by facial recognition and other biometric systems and invest in educating themselves of the risks as well as hardening critical systems.
Container-based Cloud deployments are growing in popularity due to the ease with which DevOps teams can continuously roll out micro-services and interacting, reusable components as applications.
As a result, the number of organisations prioritising the adoption of container technologies will continue to increase in 2020.
According to McAfee's "Advanced Threat Research (ATR)", the rise of targeted ransomware has created a growing demand for compromised corporate networks. This demand is met by criminals who specialise in penetrating corporate networks and sell complete network access in one go.
"For 2020, we predict the targeted penetration of corporate networks will continue to grow and ultimately give way to two-stage extortion attacks.
"In the first stage, cybercriminals will deliver a crippling ransomware attack, extorting victims to get their files back. In the second stage, criminals will target the recovering ransomware victims again with an extortion attack but this time they will threaten to disclose the sensitive data stolen before the ransomware attack," McAfee said in a statement.
A very viable threat vector will emerge and adversaries will begin to generate deepfakes to bypass facial recognition, the cyber security firm predicted.
It will be critical for businesses to understand the security risks presented by facial recognition and other biometric systems and invest in educating themselves of the risks as well as hardening critical systems.
Container-based Cloud deployments are growing in popularity due to the ease with which DevOps teams can continuously roll out micro-services and interacting, reusable components as applications.
As a result, the number of organisations prioritising the adoption of container technologies will continue to increase in 2020.

1 hour ago
Fuel switches were turned off prior to the accident of the Air India Boeing 787.

6 hours ago
Reji Valiyakala from New York Speaks on the Importance of Life Insurance

9 hours ago
GOP senators alarmed by Hegseth's Ukraine aid freeze, seek probe

11 hours ago
Tesla to India: First showroom to open in Mumbai on July 15.

12 hours ago
Nasscom US CEO Forum launched; aims to strengthen India–US tech ties.

12 hours ago
US: Trump, First Lady to visit flood-hit Texas as rescue ops continue

12 hours ago
Tara K. Menon, an Indian-origin scholar at Harvard University, receives the Roslyn Abramson Award.

12 hours ago
Zelensky meets US Senators on sidelines of Ukraine Recovery Conference in Rome

12 hours ago
MoS Margherita meets US Secretary of State in Malaysia

12 hours ago
South Korea, US, Japan stage joint air drills involving B-52 bomber

12 hours ago
Canada will defend its workers, businesses: PM Carney responds to Trump’s tariff threat

12 hours ago
Indians lead among the richest immigrants in America; 12 Indian-origin individuals featured on Forbes list.

16 hours ago
Coast Guard rescues two crew members from stranded US yacht