Gain protection against advanced email attacks like BEC, ATO, social engineering, and more
Turn hours-a-day to minutes-a-month combatting phishing with customizable security automation
Triple your org's email security awareness with real-world phishing simulation testing and training
Get Adaptive AI email security against advanced attacks missed by other security controls
Eliminate the risk of ATO with advanced prevention, detection, and response
Protect your organization from image-based attacks like malicious QR codes
Put SecOps workloads on auto-pilot with automated email remediation and more
Send your employees customized simulations built from real-world threats
Build a security-centric culture with automated personalized awareness campaigns
Leverage insights from 20,000+ security analysts in our community for email remediation
Protect your collaboration tools including Microsoft Teams® from advanced threats
Learn how we level up our AI with advanced ML models and Human Insights
See how we uniquely enhance our adaptive AI with real-time Human Insights
Discover how we use Gen-AI, large language models, and techniques for email security
Maximize your existing security tools with our seamlessly integrated platform
Stop advanced attacks like BEC, VEC, and VIP impersonation
Continuously protect against malicious links and attachments
Block attackers from stealing your sensitive business data
Prevent, detect, and respond to ATO attacks in real time
Decipher image-based attacks from weaponized QR codes
Safeguard your organization against GPT-crafted attacks
Test your employees with real-world email attacks
Build a security-first organization with integrated SAT campaigns
Identify and respond to malware and URL threats, at scale.
Ransomware is a major threat to every business. Every single day, organizations around the world are having to pause operations due to inaccessible encrypted files, and they have to decide whether they let the attackers win and pay a large ransom to resume their work. However, as common as these attacks are, many businesses do not have a plan in place to prevent them.
In addition to the cost of the ransom, businesses incur large additional operational expenses. In fact, it’s estimated that it costs over $84,000 for organizations to recover from a single attack.
Therefore, it’s important to attack ransomware at the source before it lands in the inbox or to get it out of email mailboxes before it can detonate.
Computer
POS Terminal
Phone
Wearable Device
Secure a payment from the victim in return for decrypting the hostage files
Payment often demanded in the form of cryptocurrencies such as bitcoin, as they are effectively non-reversible and difficult for law enforcement to track.
Install application
Download file from email
Click link
Visit webpage
Program targets some set of files and encrypts them using the private encryption key of the attacker
Before implementing a system to prevent these ransomware attacks, it’s important to understand how the different parts of the attack work:
Victim downloads the file
For example, a user may download a file attachment from what seems to be a known source such as a business partner or friend
Victim downloads the file
For example, a user may download a file attachment from what seems to be a known source such as a business partner or friend
Program begins executing
The ransomware detects the files it wants to attack
Files are encrypted using the attacker’s remote private encryption key
Program begins executing
The ransomware detects the files it wants to attack
Files are encrypted using the attacker’s remote private encryption key
User is prompted with a message about the attack, letting them know that their files are encrypted and they’ll need to pay to get them decrypted
The attacker provides a method of payment such as a bitcoin address
User is prompted with a message about the attack, letting them know that their files are encrypted and they’ll need to pay to get them decrypted
The attacker provides a method of payment such as a bitcoin address
User decides whether or not they want to pay the ransom
If the payment is not made, the files will remain encrypted
The user can potentially remove the malware with antivirus software, but this will not decrypt the files
User decides whether or not they want to pay the ransom
If the payment is not made, the files will remain encrypted
The user can potentially remove the malware with antivirus software, but this will not decrypt the files
If the user paid the attacker, the attacker will likely—but not guaranteed—decrypt the files and move on
If the user paid the attacker, the attacker will likely—but not guaranteed—decrypt the files and move on
There are three major subtypes of ransomware:
Now that we have a good understanding of how ransomware works and the different types, let’s look at a few real-world examples of major attacks:
CryptoLocker was an email based ransomware attack that sent infected email attachments through a large Russian botnet. It was targeted at Windows users and encrypted numerous types of files when activated. The program demanded either bitcoin or pre-paid cash vouchers before a deadline when the private key used to initiate the attack would be deleted.
Fortunately, a security firm eventually was able to obtain a database of many of the private keys, but the attackers were still able to collect around $3m dollars from businesses and users around the world.
WannaCry was a sophisticated ransomware attack that exploited a network vulnerability in older Windows operating systems that allowed it to propagate itself across computers in a network automatically.
The program demanded between $300-600 USD in bitcoin to be paid to the attackers. Due to the automatic propagation technique, it was able to spread to over 300,000 computers in only four days. It’s estimated that the economic toll may have been up to $4 billion in the form of ransom payments, business losses, and operational expenses.
To prevent a ransomware attack, you must understand where the current threats and attack vectors lie within your organization, implement advanced software systems to detect and remove them, and develop a sophisticated incident response program to help resolve ongoing attacks and make plans to prevent future ones.
Organizations must understand where their current vulnerabilities are and what types of attack vectors exist. Since ransomware typically comes from phishing attacks, it’s particularly vital to gauge the strength of your email email security stack as well as the savvy of your employees.
Phishing simulations can help proactively detect weaknesses in employee understanding of attack types.
Organizations must have a Security Operations (SecOps) team in place that is able to quickly triage, investigate, and respond to potential phishing attacks in real time. Further, they must have automated incident response systems in place so that resolution can be done quickly and without anything slipping through the cracks.
In an evolving phishing, malware, and ransomware landscape, you need real-time tools that analyze and remove the most advanced threats instantly.
Traditional protection tools often fail against modern attacks. Firewalls, URL filters, and anti-spam software certainly have a place, but they will not protect you, your employees, and your company from today’s sophisticated attacks.
Advanced malware and URL protection and visual learning tools are some examples of technologies that can be deployed to help detect and prevent evolving threats much faster than manual analysis and keep organizations ahead of the attacks.
The IRONSCALES platform leverages advanced malware and URL protection, computer vision and neural network technology to detect and respond to ransomware in real-time.
Unlike traditional ransomware and malware threat protection software, IRONSCALES offers native API integration with no MX record changes required, real-time and continuous inspection of suspicious URLs and attachments in the inbox, and best-of-breed anti malware and AV engines. Our advanced email ransomware protection tools keep your employees and your company safe. Request a demo of IRONSCALES to see how you can keep your company safe from ransomware.
"The Buck Stops Here. Best Email Security Solution On The Market"
Product Manager & Cyber Security Leader
IT Security & Risk Management Company
The word is out: IRONSCALES is leading the pack in email security!