What is Sextortion? Sextortion is a way of criminally extorting money from a victim or forcing the victim to carry out an act unwillingly. More often than not, the attacker threatens to publicly release embarrassing, personal images or video footage of the victim. Pornographic blackmail is commonly the angle used in sextortion.
Wood Ranch Medical has announced it will be permanently closing its doors as a direct result of a ransomware attack. The devastating attack occurred at Wood Ranch Medical in Simi Valley, CA, which recently announced that the practice will permanently close on December 17, 2019. It is another example of how cyber attacks and specifically Ransomware can bring a business to its knees.
The ransomware attack encrypted the computer systems at Brookside ENT and Hearing Center in Battle Creek which housed patient records, appointment schedules, and payment information rendering the data inaccessible. A ransomware attack can prove costly to resolve. That cost was not deemed worth it by one Michigan practice, which has now permanently closed its doors.
So what is Ransomware? Ransomware is a type of malicious program/application that gains access to your files or systems and blocks user access to those files or systems. Then, all files, or even entire devices, are held hostage using encryption until the victim pays a ransom in exchange for a decryption key. The key allows the user to access the files or systems encrypted by the program.
The potential harm of a malicious URL is so great that they are considered one of the biggest threats to the digital world, especially when we talk about attacks and threats that arrive by email.
Considering we now spend more and more time online, it’s only natural that we’ve digitised almost every aspect of our daily lives. But in doing so, we may have opened ourselves up to a new and dangerous form of attack. Ever since we began using the internet, we have faced the risk of malicious activity. Fortunately, we’ve developed powerful tools to combat cyber-attacks and advanced email security services.
When it comes to securing email, most network admins focus on inbound security threats. This is understandable considering the threat viruses, malware, phishing and spear-phishing attacks pose to an organisation. But inbound threats aren’t the only threat organisations need to protect against. Outbound email poses a significant risk as well. Should an email server become compromised it can send out SPAM messages to all your contacts.
The number of fraudulent email circulations seems to grow with each passing day. Scammers use email fraud with the main motive of deceiving users for their gain. This is especially true in the financial institutions where attackers use domain spoofing schemes to send emails to employees or customers.
If you’re not in the IT industry, all the technical terms for malicious attacks on computer network systems can be confusing. It’s also pretty easy to think you know what you’re talking about but actually have not got it right. In today’s blog post, we’re going to tackle viruses and malware, a couple of the most-used terms when talking about email threat protection, and figure out how you can address them.
Impostor email attacks are a growing trend and problem. Attackers will target your employees, customers, and business partners with these advanced attacks. It is now widely known that Cybercriminals aim to exploit users within organizations rather than the technology. Their sole purpose, to steal money and information which could prove financially valuable.
