When we hear the word, variants, Delta and Omicron immediately spring to mind, but COVID-19 isn’t the only virus of global concern. Security experts say a dangerous increase in malicious ransomware attacks, the technical version of a serious virus, caused devastating compromises to government organizations, critical infrastructure and business in 2021. And they warn that 2022 will see an even greater increase in cyber-attacks, as cybercriminals continue to innovate and become increasingly bolder in their approach, creating new variants to traditional ransomware. Toward the end of 2021, ransomware overtook personal data breaches as the threat that dominated cybersecurity news across the world. Global lockdowns and remote work caused a rush to put more assets online, which led to an increase in vulnerabilities. Ransomware attackers can disrupt our daily lives, whether they go after hospitals, gas pipelines, schools, or other businesses. According to TechNewsWorld, hackers are now buying space from major cloud providers to distribute variants of a commodity called (RATs) remote access threats. RATS contain information-stealing capabilities that can remotely take control over a victim’s environment. The initial infection comes via a phishing email with a malicious ZIP attachment. So, think twice before opening up that curious email and UNZIPPING anything, lest you be opening a Pandora’s box.
