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Major Malware Attacks Over the Past Three Years

Malware attacks have continued to be a significant threat over the past three years, resulting in financial loss, data breaches, and disruptions to businesses and organizations.

Sam Takimoto 5 months ago

2 MIN READ

Malware Campaigns Continue to Wreak Havoc Around the Globe

Malware attacks have continued to be a significant threat over the past three years, resulting in financial loss, data breaches, and disruptions to businesses and organizations.

One of the major malware attacks in the past three years was the Emotet malware attack, which began in 2018 and continued to evolve over the following years. Emotet is a type of Trojan malware that is often spread via phishing emails, and it can be used to steal sensitive information and install other types of malware. The Emotet botnet was known for its capabilities of distributing banking trojans, ransomware, and other forms of malware. The botnet was taken down in January 2021 by an international collaboration of law enforcement, intelligence agencies, and private-sector cybersecurity companies

Another major attack was the Trickbot malware, which first appeared in 2016 as a banking Trojan, but in the following years evolved into a modular malware framework. Trickbot was used in various campaigns such as ransomware, data exfiltration and credential theft. Trickbot was also known for its ability to move laterally within a network and it was often used as a foothold for future attacks on a compromised organization.

In 2020 and 2021, the world has seen a surge in ransomware attacks, and a few of the notable ransomware attacks were the attacks on Colonial pipeline and the JBS meatpacking company. The attack on Colonial Pipeline led to fuel shortages in the Southeast of the United States and the company had to pay a ransom of nearly $5 million to regain control of its systems. JBS also had to pay a ransom to prevent a major supply chain disruption to grocery stores worldwide.

Another notable malware attack in the past three years was the SolarWinds attack, which was discovered in December 2020. The attackers used a supply-chain attack to compromise the software updates of SolarWinds, a company that provides IT management software to many organizations. The attackers then used this access to compromise the networks of SolarWinds' clients, which included government agencies and private companies. The attackers were able to steal sensitive information and move laterally within the networks.

To protect against malware attacks, individuals and organizations should take steps such as keeping software and systems up to date, regularly patching vulnerabilities, and using reputable security software. Additionally, regular backups can help organizations recover from a malware attack, as well as training employees to identify and avoid phishing attempts. it is also important to implement security protocols such as two-factor authentication, encryption, and network segmentation to prevent attackers from moving laterally within the network and stealing sensitive information.

To summarize, malware attacks continue to be a significant threat to individuals and organizations over the past three years, causing financial loss, data breaches, and disruptions to businesses. The attackers have become more sophisticated in their methods, using supply-chain attacks, and modular malware frameworks that can move laterally within networks. To protect against these types of attacks, individuals and organizations should take steps such as keeping software and systems up to date, regularly patching vulnerabilities, and using reputable security software. Additionally, regular backups, employee training, and implementing security protocols such as two-factor authentication, encryption, and network segmentation can prevent attackers from moving laterally within the network and stealing sensitive information.