EXPLAINER: Ransomware and its role in supply chain attacks
Another holiday weekend in the U.S., another ransomware attack that has paralyzed businesses around the world.
This time it's affecting an untold number of small and big companies that use IT software from a company called Kaseya.
High-profile ransomware attacks in May hit the world’s largest meat-packing company and the biggest U.S. fuel pipeline, underscoring how gangs of extortionist hackers can disrupt the economy and put lives and livelihoods at risk.
WHAT IS RANSOMWARE? HOW DOES IT WORK?
Ransomware scrambles the target organization’s data with encryption. The criminals leave instructions on infected computers for negotiating ransom payments. Once paid, they provide decryption keys for unlocking those files.
Ransomware crooks have also expanded into data-theft blackmail. Before triggering encryption, they sometimes quietly copy sensitive files and threaten to post them publicly unless they get their ransom payments.
WHAT'S A SUPPLY-CHAIN ATTACK?
The latest attack affecting Kaseya customers combines a ransomware operation with what's known as a supply-chain attack, which typically involves sneaking malicious code into a software update automatically pushed out to thousands of organizations.
Kaseya says the ransomware affected its product for remotely monitoring networks; but because many of its clients are providers of broader IT management services, a large number of organizations is likely to be affected.
“What makes this attack stand out is the trickle-down effect, from the managed service provider to the small business,” said John Hammond of the security firm Huntress Labs. “Kaseya handles large enterprise all the way to small businesses globally, so ultimately, it has the potential to spread to any size or scale business.”
Until now, the best-known recent...
