Hackers Need Less Than 45 Minutes to Infect PC With Ransomware
Microsoft revealed in its latest report, not only hackers tend to increase cases of this pandemic, but they also get to be faster in hacking than before. How much time do hackers need to open a device and put a malware inside it? Microsoft says under 45 minutes. In the recent Microsoft Digital Defense report, the company revealed that hackers now need less than 45 minutes to infect a system with ransomware.
Several ransomware groups have been improving their skills in hacking computers. Microsoft calls them big game hunters because these groups target and select networks belonging to large corporations or government organizations, which most big ransom money comes from. These groups tend to access a vulnerable system and hold them as long as possible. Microsoft found that these groups are now more active amid pandemic than ever before. Hackers are exploiting the COVID-19 crisis to reduce the time it takes to infect systems, steal data and put the data out for ransom. In some instances, hackers were able to go from initial entry to ransoming the entire network in under 45 minutes.
Not only have hackers gained faster access to computers, but now hack one system first and then use the victim's own infrastructure to attack all of its customers, either one by one or all at the same time. This was called supply-chain attacks that mostly happen to businesses that keep customer info. According to Microsoft, despite having an increase, supply chain attacks still represent only a small percentage of ransomware overall.
According to the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, there are several things you should do to protect your network and data. Perform frequent backups of your system and other important files, and verify your backups regularly. If your computer becomes infected with ransomware, you can restore your system to its previous state using your backups. Make sure your applications and operating systems have been updated with the latest patches. Vulnerable applications and OSs are the target of most ransomware attacks. Be careful when opening email attachments, even from senders you think you know, especially with attachments that are compressed. Install antivirus software, firewalls, and email filters and keep them up to date.