Blog

Emails Pretending To Be Secret Admirers Could Be Ransomware

Mar 6, 2020 | Blog

Nemty Ransomware isn’t an especially well-known threat, but it’s dangerous and should not be discounted. Recently, researchers have discovered an ongoing spam-email driven campaign that’s attempting to spread the ransomware far and wide.

An unknown group of hackers are sending out what appear to be love letters from secret admirers in a broad pattern.

They are probably simply using email addresses purchased in bulk on the Dark Web. The emails use a variety of subject lines like “Letter for You,” “Will be our secret,” “Can’t Forget you,” and “I love you.” They have no body text and feature nothing more than a wink emoji. That is clearly a bid to entice recipients into responding by clicking on the enclosed attachment to see what all the fuss is about and get to the bottom of the mystery.

Unfortunately, those that do so doom themselves. The attached file is a poisoned Java Script that installs the ransomware, which promptly locks the user’s files and then displays a ransom payment demand.

The fact that Nemty isn’t widely known works in its favor, as it gives the malware a very low VirusTotal detection rate. That will undoubtedly lead to a higher than usual percentage of infections until an increasing number of antivirus companies add the malware to their definitions. It’s a short-term advantage, but one the hackers will surely make full use of until the AV companies catch up.

Nemty’s developers have also threatened to create a blog, which will be used to release sensitive information of those who refuse to pay the ransom.

Finally, be aware that Nemty is known for deleting shadow copies as it encrypts files. So if you’re not in the habit of making regular backups, if you get hit with this strain, you will have no way of recovering your data. Make sure your employees are aware!

FBI Program Tasked with Infrastructure Security Compromised

FBI Program Tasked with Infrastructure Security Compromised

The FBI program tasked with ensuring critical infrastructure security has been compromised by hackers, who now offer access to the program's data on the dark web. The breach was initially disclosed by Brian Krebs of Krebs on Security, who claims that the data was for...

Streamline Your Business with the Latest Smart Home Technology

Streamline Your Business with the Latest Smart Home Technology

Are you a business owner looking to get the most out of your Google smart home devices? If so, you're in luck! Google has enabled its Nest products and Android OS with the initial rollout of the Matter smart home standard. This means that businesses now have the...

Data Breach at Sequoia One Exposes Sensitive Customer Information

Data Breach at Sequoia One Exposes Sensitive Customer Information

What do you do when your most personal information has been compromised? This is likely the question that customers of Sequoia One asked themselves earlier this month as they were informed that the company had been hacked. Sequoia One specializes in the management of...

Cisco Reports Critical IP Phone Vulnerability

Cisco Reports Critical IP Phone Vulnerability

As a business owner, it's important to stay informed about potential vulnerabilities that could impact your organization. Recently, Cisco reported a critical vulnerability, tracked as CVE-2022-20968, affecting its IP Phone 7800 and 8800 Series. This new vulnerability...

Google Chrome Releases Two New Features

Google Chrome Releases Two New Features

Google Chrome is one of the more commonly used web browsers. Over the years, though, Chrome has gained a reputation for utilizing a large portion of a computer's memory. This can be a problem if you're running other resource-intensive tasks and don't want to slow...

Get a Free Consultation

 

Fill out the form below to receive a free consultation and learn how we can make your technology worry-free!

 

Contact Information

  • 39301 Badger Street, Suite 500
    Palm Desert, CA 9221
  • (760) 333-8523
  • info@icn.tech