Sales: 0845 470 4001 | Support: 0845 230 6001 | Contact Form | NPS
Security agencies in the United States have issued a new warning about the Black Basta ransomware group, in the wake of a high-profile attack against the healthcare giant Ascension.
The cyber attack last week forced the Ascension computer systems offline, and caused some hospital emergency departments to turn away ambulances “in order to ensure emergency cases are triaged immediately.”
In a statement, Ascension confirmed that while its hospitals were providing healthcare, the ransomware attack meant that its electronic health records and other systems used to order tests, procedures, and medications were currently unavailable.
Now the FBI, CISA, and other US government agencies have released a joint cybersecurity advisory warning of the Black Basta ransomware that is thought to have impacted over 500 organisations globally since April 2022, including in the United States, UK, India, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and UAE.
Black Basta, the advisory explains, has encrypted and stolen data from at least 12 of 16 critical infrastructure sectors, including the Healthcare and Public Health (HPH) sector, threatening to release it unless a ransom is paid.
The updated warning comes just as news emerges that Black Basta attacks have adopted a new attack methodology with a social engineering twist.
Security researchers have uncovered that attackers are tricking targeted companies’ users into downloading and installing remote access software using the following cunning technique:
What probably makes the attack particularly effective is the combined use of both email and phone calls. Many users might naturally be suspicious of emails that arrive in their inbox, but more trusting of phone calls – particularly if they refer to a problem that they really are having with their inbox (namely, a flood of unwanted email that is interrupting their ability to do their job).
In order to better safeguard your organisation against ransomware threats, consider implementing the following security measures:
Knowing how to respond, particularly in the first 48 hours after a cyber attack, is critical.
The best approach is to take proactive measures and have emergency plans in place because it’s not a matter of if, but when, your business will suffer a ransomware attack.
Make sure to read Exponential-e’s step-by-step guide on ransomware remediation.
