

Other groups that have adopted this strategy include Avaddon and Colonial Pipeline attacker Darkside. Ransomware operators such as SunCrypt and Ragnor Locker were early users of the DDoS ploy, according to Bleeping Computer. By combining file encryption, data theft and DDoS assaults, the attacker is looking to ramp up the pressure on the victim to force them to pay the ransom amount. Plus, it adds another stressful factor that the targeted organization must handle. Used this way, a DDoS attack shows that the cybercriminal is serious.

“It’s a little bit ransom, a little bit DDoS extortion, and a lot of trouble,” NETSCOUT said. In the latest tactic, cybercriminals who sell ransomware-as-a-service campaigns offer a DDoS attack as an extra service. The goal is to overwhelm the web server to the point that it’s unable to respond to requests from legitimate visitors. In a DDoS (Distributed Denial of Service) assault, the attacker hits an organization’s website with a flood of concentrated web traffic over an extended period of time.
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How to secure your email via encryption, password management and more (TechRepublic Premium) How to improve security awareness and training for your employees SEE: Distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks: A cheat sheet (Free PDF) (TechRepublic) Must-read security coverageġ0 best antivirus software for businesses in 2022 In a report released last week, cybersecurity firm NETSCOUT highlights this trend and offers some tips on how to better protect your organization. One tactic increasingly being added to a traditional ransomware campaign is a DDoS attack. The more stress that the criminals can inflict on their victims, the greater the odds that their demands will be met. Ransomware attackers are always looking for new ways to persuade their targets to pay the ransom. How ransomware actors are adding DDoS attacks to their arsenalsĭDoS attacks increase the pressure on the victim to pay the ransom by adding another threat to combat, says NETSCOUT.
