EXPERT
OPINION
a new technique where they insert
phishing emails into an active email
thread to increase the likelihood of it
being clicked on. This type of attack
is known as spearfishing and if the
target is a member of the C-suite, it is
called ‘whale phishing’. But regardless
of who is being targeted, everyone is
susceptible to a carefully crafted email
arriving when they are just distracted
enough to not be paying attention.
How ransomware will progress
during 2020
What has been on the rise, and what
I predict will get worse in 2020, are
the more targeted ransomware attacks
that cost businesses more from an
operational and regulatory perspective.
Malware and ransomware attacks, in
general, are a completely different
game now because these attacks
are being targeted and specifically
crafted to certain internal systems.
Another factor contributing to the
growing attacks on businesses and
enterprise organisations is the ready
availability of Ransomware-as-a-Service
(RaaS) offerings, which is something
I predicted years ago would happen
as an evolution of ransomware. And in
2020 we are already seeing another
shift, with ransomware jumping to
leverage the timely cybercriminal
opportunity around COVID-19, which
demonstrates that ransomware evolution
is not just about targeted attacks. And
this sort of multi-pronged attack front is
much harder to defend against.
FortiGuard Labs
has been actively
monitoring the
threat landscape
during this time,
and we have seen a
significant increase
in threats targeting
individuals through
phishing and
infected websites.
• Wherever possible, patch and
update operating systems, devices
and software. Make this a priority
for remote workers – especially
What can organisations do?
We are at an especially vulnerable
moment in our transition to a digital
economy. Organisations need to take
steps now to protect their networks and
networked resources from the growing
problem of sophisticated ransomware.
While each network environment is
different, here are a few things any
organisation can begin to implement
today to reduce their risk from
ransomware and other advanced threats.
those using personal devices
to connect to the corporate
network. For devices that can’t be
patched, ensure that appropriate
proximity controls and alerts are
in place. It is also important to
make sure that all endpoint
devices have advanced security
installed, such as anti-exploit and
EDR solutions.
• Businesses need to make sure
that access controls, such as
multifactor authentication and even
network access control solutions
are in place. Using NAC to inspect
and block bring-your-own-devices
42 Issue 28 | www.intelligentciso.com