At the recent international information security conference RSA 2020, among other things, representatives of the Federal Bureau of Investigation spoke. In their report, they said that over the past 6 years, victims of ransomware have paid over $140 million to attackers.
According to the FBI, between October 2013 and November 2019, the attackers were paid $144 in Bitcoin. The largest profit was brought by the Ryuk ransomware, with which the attackers earned more than $350 million. The Crysis/Dharma malware brought in about $000 million, and Bitpaymer β $61 million. An FBI representative noted that the amount of payments may be higher, since the agency does not have accurate data. Many companies try to hide information about such incidents so as not to damage their reputation and prevent the value of their shares from falling.
It was also said that the RDP protocol, which allows Windows users to remotely connect to their workplace, is most often used by attackers to gain access to the victimβs computer. After receiving the ransom, attackers usually transfer funds to different cryptocurrency exchanges, which makes it difficult to track further movements of funds.
The FBI believes that many companies cover the costs of paying ransomware through insurance. The department noted that companies are increasingly insuring risks associated with cybercrimes. Therefore, over the past few years, the volume of payments received by attackers has increased significantly.
Source: 3dnews.ru