Cybersecurity threats are becoming too sophisticated and rampant to keep up with. Most IT departments in both small and large companies are constantly faced with emerging threats on an almost weekly basis.
Fear, uncertainty, and doubt (FUD) seem to have taken the cybersecurity sector hostage. This is why it’s important for your security team to have a good understanding of key concepts in the sector.
In this post, we look at two important concepts in the cybersecurity world, namely crypt and FUD.
What is a Crypt in Security?
Crypt is a term used by hackers and cyber attackers in reference to obfuscation methods they use to bypass malware detection by antivirus software. Crypt also happens to be the name of a program in the Dharma ransomware group. When your system is infected by Crypt, the ransomware encrypts your data and sends a ransom demand for the files to be decrypted.
In the encryption process, your files will be renamed from the original filename to a unique ID assigned by the hacker which includes an email address and a .Crypt extension.
For example, a file you had originally saved as 123.docx becomes something like 123.id-D45G699.[[email protected]].Crypt after the encryption.
The ransom demand is then sent on a pop-up window with the text file titled “FILES Encrypted.txt” for example. The demand tells you that all your files have been encrypted and therefore inaccessible until you pay a specific amount of money in Bitcoin within a specified number of days.
You’re further warned against attempting to decrypt the files using other tools or software because the action would render the files permanently undecryptable.
Whenever you face a Crypt attack, it’s strongly recommended to avoid communicating with the attackers or paying the ransom. Ransomware victims in the past claim that they didn’t get the necessary tools to fully recover their data after payment and neither did the ransom demands stop.
To prevent such attacks, we recommend ensuring that you have the best security solutions that can detect crypt malware and training your staff and other network users on the best data security practices.
Why FUD is Doing More Harm Than Good to Security
There have been claims that lately, fear, uncertainty, and doubt (FUD) has been holding the cybersecurity sector hostage. As the dark cloud of FUD looms over small and large businesses and organizations, security solutions vendors continue to line their pockets with fear-generated income.
Fear does indeed sell. How many times have you received emails with subject lines such as “Your system could be infected” or “We’ve identified threats to your system”?
There are many reasons why FUD has taken hold on businesses today. For instance, security vendors know that fear will always encourage businesses and organizations to invest in even more security solutions.
The media coverage of cybersecurity breaches and incidences and the costs resulting from such attacks cause more panic and fear.
Conclusion
It’s time to cut the FUD by understanding how encryption attacks work and taking the necessary measures to prevent the attacks.
The focus shouldn’t be on FUD but on ensuring integrity and confidentiality in your data and the systems used to manage and store it.
