The UK’s National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) has joined with the FBI and other international organisations to warn businesses about a growing wave of increasingly sophisticated ransomware attacks.
►First ever joint advisory warns of an increase in sophisticated, high-impact ransomware incidents
►Trends reveal increasingly professional operations, with some criminal groups employing independent services to negotiate payments and support
►Businesses urged to take protective action
In conjunction with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) and the Australian Cyber Security Centre (ACSC), the NCSC identified a number of ransomware trends, including increased use of cybercriminal ‘services-for-hire’; the sharing of victim information between different groups of cyber criminals; and diversifying approaches to extorting money.
Ransomware groups also increased the impact of their attacks by targeting cloud services; attacking industrial processes and the software supply chain; and launching attacks on organisations during public holidays and weekends.
The advisory follows the NCSC’s recently launched Ransomware Hub, which is a one-stop shop for advice on how ransomware works, on whether a ransom should be paid, and how to prevent a successful attack.
The joint advisory also offers mitigation advice to network defenders which will reduce the risk of a compromise, which includes implementing a requirement for multi-factor authentication, zero trust architecture, and a user training programme with phishing exercises.
UK organisations which fall victim to a cyberattack are asked to report the incident to the NCSC’s 24/7 incident management team.
