As anyone in the Internet security community knows, malware creation and subsequent attacks are rising at an alarming level, with hackers becoming more and more adept at altering their methods to circumvent current security measures. Ransomware attacks are the flavor of choice these days, affecting medical systems, public utilities and likely many more institutions who don’t report these crimes.
Cybercriminals are concentrating their efforts on finding ways to hold data hostage from enterprises large and small while demanding payment, typically in Bitcoin, to release the data and allow victims to return to normal operations. A disturbing trend is developing, however, in which the black hats purport to be serving altruistic purposes, not seeking financial gain for themselves but for political or other groups in need of funding.
In a hacker’s mind, this “Robin Hood” approach may vindicate their actions. But while the Robin Hood of English lore stole from greedy land barons who were earning their sacks of gold on the backs of indigent tenant farmers, today’s hacker equivalents are stealing money from organizations that ultimately will pass the cost of their losses along to consumers in some way, through increased insurance costs or higher prices, for example. Someone still has to pay for the cybercriminals’ depredations, even if the cost of the crimes isn’t obvious. In other words, stealing is still stealing, no matter if it‘s cloaked in the guise of altruism.
A case in point is the latest exploit of notorious hacker “Phineas Fisher,” who brags about “donating” approximately $11,000, or 25 Bitcoin, stolen from an unnamed financial institution, to Kurdish anti-capitalists in the Rojava region in Northern Syria. “Fisher” even offers details of how the funds will be used to support the group. His goal, he says, is not personal financial gain but simply to follow his ideals. Unfortunately, this supposed “justification” for ransomware doesn’t undo the cost of the crime, which, depending on the organization involved, can be far more than the actual cost of the ransom. Usually, reputation and consumer confidence are also jeopardized, and sensitive data is often put at risk. In the case of medical facilities or public utilities being compromised, public safety is also at risk.
And as romantic as the ‘stealing from the rich and giving to the poor’ notion might be, stealing is stealing and this is not the time for an ineffective Sheriff of Nottingham approach to these Robin Hoods. Managed Service Providers and IT professionals need to be aware of ever evolving cybersecurity threats and of the innovative solutions, like Comodo’s, to the malware problem.
