When malware comes gunning for your national health service, you’re going to take it personally. And that’s just one reason why the WannaCry outbreak – among so many malware outbreaks of late – boosted cybersecurity awareness in the United Kingdom and around the world, says Barracuda’s Hatem Naguib.
Naguib says the rise of easily procured and inexpensive crypto-locking ransomware options continues to lower barriers to entry for new attackers (see Want to Get Into Ransomware? This Kit Costs Just $175).
“I think it’s going to get progressively worse,” Naguib says. “Teenagers can go and get a ransomware setup and then go get money for the weekend, so that they can go and have fun. It’s that easy to make this type of a transaction.” The increased availability of such tools also portends attackers attempting to extort money from firms in return for a promise to not attack them, as has been seen in distributed denial-of-service attacks.
