To thwart attacks like CryptLocker, you need a multipronged defense; new technology doesn't hurt either Credit: Keith Hall Targeted email attacks (called spear phishing) with harmful links or attachments containing malware are an ever-increasing threat. These attacks are part social networking and part sophisticated technical effort to penetrate companies’ defense systems. Traditional security deployments, in many cases, aren’t prepared for these kinds of attacks.The weakest link of any network is the user. But it’s not always their fault. If a person receives an email from a real co-worker with a link, how can that person know the link will send them to a zero-day threat or that the attachment is a CryptoLocker attack?After you train your users, they will have a good amount of fear and how-to ideas in mind, but over time they will forget or get sloppy — and it takes only one or two clicks to pull CryptoLocker or similar threats into your environment. CryptoLocker is especially insidious malware because it encrypts all files — documents, databases, photos, and so on — with military-grade encryption unless you pay a ransom. Also, there is only one key to decrypt — and the attacker is holding and asking money for it. Overall, ransomware is getting smarter. You need to look at putting protections in place that checks links and scans email for malware as standard. It’s easy enough to scan email as it comes in and look for known viruses and such. What’s hard is thwarting the kinds of sophisticated attacks where truly devastating tools like CryptoLocker are used: Someone sends a link that, at the time it comes through, points to a legitimate and safe server. But later, that link is switched by the attacker on the server side to a harmful location. There is typically no recheck in place when a user clicks a link in their email.There should be — and there can be. You need email protection that covers the full lifecycle of a message, for as long as that message exists and there is a link to be clicked, when clicked the system will ensure the URL is still pointing to a safe location.Tools for lifecycle malware detection carry different names, including targeted threat protection (TTP), targeted attack protection (TAP), and click-time link scanning. Whatever you call it, you want it in place.You also want to scan all your systems and data stores to see if anything has already snuck through and is lurking to cause damage later. You have plenty of tools to do that, such as Malwarebytes Antio-Malware, which is what I use. What happens if you are infected by ransomware? You have two options:Pay the ransom and get back to workRestore from backup, assuming it wasn’t infected tooThe problem with paying the ransom is that you tell the bad guys, “If this happens again, I will pay you,” so you go on the list of repeat targets, likely for a higher ransom amount. Certainly, if you don’t have secured backups of your data, you need to start making them.When all is said and done, three items are necessary to protect your organization from modern-day phishing attacks: Solid training for usersSolid security technology with the latest in targeted threat protectionA budget for ransoms or a usable backup of data (in case the training and security systems don’t work)Don’t put it off any longer! Related content news CISA, FBI urge developers to patch path traversal bugs before shipping The advisory highlights how developers can follow best practices to fix these vulnerabilities during production. By Shweta Sharma May 03, 2024 3 mins Vulnerabilities news Microsoft continues to add, shuffle security execs in the wake of security incidents The company has appointed new product security chiefs as well as a customer-facing CISO as it continues to respond to high-profile attacks on its products and own network. By Elizabeth Montalbano May 03, 2024 4 mins CSO and CISO feature Malware explained: How to prevent, detect and recover from it What are the types of malware? How does malware spread? How do you know if you’re infected? We've got answers. By Josh Fruhlinger May 03, 2024 18 mins Ransomware Phishing Malware brandpost Sponsored by Cyber NewsWire LayerX Security Raises $26M for its Browser Security Platform, Enabling Employees to Work Securely from Any Browser, Anywhere Early adoption by Fortune 100 companies worldwide, LayerX already secures more users than any other browser security solution and enables unmatched security, performance and experience By Cyber NewsWire May 02, 2024 4 mins Cyberattacks Security PODCASTS VIDEOS RESOURCES EVENTS SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER From our editors straight to your inbox Get started by entering your email address below. Please enter a valid email address Subscribe