Ransomware attacks in India doubles in 2nd Quarter

Cybersecurity firm Seqrite reports that Ransomware attacks in the second quarter i.e., April to June, are twice the first quarter of the year. They also detect the change in behavior of the threat actors. Seqrite warns the organization in BFSI, IT, Manufacturing, and government sectors.

In the second quarter, more than 4 lakhs Ransomware cases are reported which is double the previous quarter. The sudden burst of coronavirus pandemic forced the enterprises to kick off the remote working. Seqrite says that the reason for the increasing attacks is the absence of robust Cybersecurity infrastructure due to the sudden introduction of remote working and living.

Ransomware Cluster – Maze:

Ransomware is malware created by hackers to block access to the computer files and threatens to publish their private information unless they get the ransom. Since the outbreak of Covid-19, many enterprises in India are affected by the Ransomware attacks including well-known and most renowned organizations.

Maze Ransomware is a top threat for the enterprises in the past one year. It uses various and unique wages to barge into the victim computer and hackers threaten to publish the data. The causalities faced in the past year include logging off the workers from their computers and stealing important data.

Along with the Maze Ransomware other Ransomware families like Ryuk, Netwalker, RagnarLocker, PonyFinal, and Tycoon also reportedly increased in the period.

Risk Analysis on Data Threat:

Seqrite has also reported the shift in the behavior of the Ransomware threat actors. Normally they block access to the computer or threaten to publish the vital information and ask for ransom. But now it is reported that they are not only getting ransom from the victims and they also sell stolen vital information like IP addresses through the internet and make a secondary income.

Now this tactic is no more belong to the Maze Ransomware, now other Ransomware has also started using these tactics. Seqrite has reported these attacks mainly targeted to the organizations in the BFSI (Banking, Financial Services, and Insurance), manufacturers, IT/ITES, and government sectors. Seqrite warns the organization in these industries as their information and data are more valuable to sell in the market.

Seqrite has reported 22 million Windows Malware cases till this June quarter. According to the reports, it has also been predicted that there will be increased attacks in the education, manufacturing, and BFSI sectors during this upcoming quarter.