Hacking is no longer a new thing in the computer and internet world. Most of them use businesses, individuals, or groups that mainly target financial ransom. Through inserting malware or ransomware, hackers may control a device and open the target's financial records or other private stuff. Microsoft revealed in its latest report, not only hackers tend to increase cases this pandemic, but they also get to be faster in hacking than before.
How much time do hackers need to control device
In this photo illustration the Social networking site Facebook is displayed on a laptop screen on March 25, 2009 in London, England. The British government has made proposals which would force Social networking websites such as Facebook to pass on details of users, friends and contacts to help fight terrorism.
How much time do hackers need to open a device and put a malware inside it? Microsoft says under 45 minutes.
In the recent Microsoft Digital Defense report, the company revealed several facts about today's hacking. One of that is that hackers now only need less than 45 minutes to insert ransomware inside a device.
As explained, many ransomware groups have been enhancing their skills in hacking someone else's device, which results in these new findings.
Microsoft named them "big game hunters" and "human-operated ransomware"-- these groups specifically target and select networks belonging to large corporations or government organizations, which most big ransom money comes from.
Based on most of their victims, the groups tend to access a vulnerable system and hold them as long as possible. Once they set their barriers on the line, the group launches its attacks.
Microsoft found out that these groups are now more active amid pandemic than before.
"Attackers have exploited the COVID-19 crisis to reduce their dwell time within a victim's system - compromising, exfiltrating data and, in some cases, ransoming quickly - apparently believing that there would be an increased willingness to pay as a result of the outbreak," Microsoft said.
"In some instances, cybercriminals went from initial entry to ransoming the entire network in under 45 minutes."
Email phishing is one tactic
A participant looks at lines of code on a laptop on the first day of the 28th Chaos Communication Congress (28C3) - Behind Enemy Lines computer hacker conference on December 27, 2011 in Berlin, Germany. The Chaos Computer Club is Europe's biggest network of computer hackers and its annual congress draws up to 3,000 participants.
Not only hackers gained faster access to computers, but Microsoft also found that threat actors now hack one target only and then use the target's own infrastructure to attack all of its customers, either one by one or all at the same time.
This was called supply-chain attacks that mostly happen to businesses that keep customer info etc.
Meanwhile, Microsoft also said that despite "having an increase, supply chain attacks represented a relatively small percentage of DART engagements overall."
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Written by Jamie Pancho
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