What We Do
Case Studies
Current Cybersecurity Challenges
Ransomware
Ransomware: At Aegis Cybersecurity Systems, we take ransomware attacks seriously and have developed CyberGhost, our advanced cybersecurity system to protect against them. Ransomware is malicious software that blocks access to computer systems or files unless a fee is paid. It is a form of cyber extortion in which the attacker encrypts the victim’s files and demands payment for the decryption, usually in cryptocurrency. Ransomware attacks can also target individuals, businesses, or government entities, causing significant financial data damage. True cases and examples: Ransomware gangs posted 24 government-related victims to their extortion sites in March — up from the 19 victims in the previous month and 13 victims in January. Recent security incidents have hit close to home, with the cities of Birmingham, Alabama, and East Baton Rouge, Louisiana, reporting disruptions in public services. The severity of the situation was further highlighted when Jackson County in Missouri was forced to declare a state of emergency after discovering a ransomware attack. The Florida Department of Juvenile Justice in Tallahassee also admitted to local news outlets that it was dealing with a cyberattack that forced some systems offline. New York City took a city payroll website offline after a phishing incident. At the same time, the Tarrant County Appraisal District—which determines property values for the Fort Worth area tax purposes—said a ransomware attack hit it. The threat of ransomware is not static; it's evolving. In March, attacks on healthcare providers saw a slight increase, according to data collected by Recorded Future from extortion sites, government agencies, news reports, hacking forums, and other sources. This trend underscores the need for heightened security measures. One hack targeting Change Healthcare has disrupted pharmacies and hospitals for weeks. The attack was attributed to the BlackCat/Alphv group, suspected of attempting an elaborate exit scam against its affiliates. Law enforcement had tried to disrupt the cybercrime gang in a December takedown. The devastating impact of ransomware was demonstrated in May 2017 when the WannaCry attack spread globally. It infected hundreds of thousands of computers in over 150 countries, exploiting a vulnerability in Microsoft Windows operating systems. Mainly targeting computers running older, un-updated versions of Windows and WannaCry encrypted files and demanding ransom payments in Bitcoin to unlock them. The attack caused widespread disruption, affecting businesses, healthcare systems, and government organizations. NotPetya: In June 2017, the NotPetya ransomware attack infected computers worldwide, primarily targeting businesses in Ukraine. NotPetya disguised itself as ransomware but was later determined to be a destructive cyberattack aimed at causing widespread disruption rather than financial gain. It spreads rapidly through networks, encrypting files and rendering infected computers inoperable. NotPetya affected numerous multinational companies, including shipping giant Maersk, pharmaceutical company Merck, and logistics company FedEx, resulting in significant financial losses. Ryuk: Ryuk is a sophisticated ransomware strain that has been active since 2018. It has been responsible for numerous high-profile attacks targeting large organizations, particularly in the healthcare and finance sectors. Ryuk is typically distributed through targeted phishing emails and employs advanced encryption techniques to encrypt files on infected systems. The ransom demands associated with Ryuk attacks can be substantial, often reaching millions of dollars. This ransomware has caused significant disruption and financial losses for its victims.
How to prevent your organization from ransomware? The following are standard steps and awareness to avoid falling victim to ransomware. However, in practical life, our experts in Aegis Cybersecurity Systems install CyberGhost to provide comprehensive solutions to make it impossible for any ransomware. Although we believe that most Cybersecurity solutions in the race against cybercrime, we start by confirming that crime could happen though, and our solution uses a different approach to make ; 1) data become invisible to unauthorized users, 2) advanced encryption dynamic that makes it difficult for bad actors to decrypt in less than 3 seconds (without being detected) and 3) we track authorized users' performance for unusual behavior Regularly Backup Data: Implement a robust backup strategy to ensure that essential data is regularly backed up and stored securely. This allows you to restore files without ransom if they are encrypted by ransomware. Keep Software Updated: Regularly update operating systems, software applications, and security patches to address known vulnerabilities. Many ransomware attacks exploit outdated software with known security flaws. Implement Security Software: Install reputable antivirus and antimalware software on all devices to detect and block ransomware threats. Use endpoint detection and response (EDR) solutions for advanced threat detection and response capabilities. User Awareness Training: Educate employees and users about cybersecurity best practices, including how to recognize phishing emails, avoid suspicious links and attachments, and report potential security incidents promptly. Use Email Filtering: Implement email filtering solutions to detect and block phishing emails and malicious attachments that may distribute ransomware. Network Segmentation: Segment networks to limit the spread of ransomware in case of a successful intrusion. Restrict access to sensitive systems and data to authorized users only. Incident Response Plan: Develop and regularly update an incident response plan that outlines procedures for responding to a ransomware attack. This should include steps for isolating infected systems, contacting law enforcement, and restoring data from backups. Consider Security Assessments: Conduct regular security assessments, including vulnerability assessments and penetration testing, to proactively identify and address weaknesses in your cybersecurity defenses. Implement Zero Trust Architecture: Adopt a zero-trust security model, where access to resources is granted based on identity verification and least privilege principles, to reduce the risk of lateral movement by ransomware within your network. Engage with Law Enforcement: Establish relationships with law enforcement agencies and cybersecurity organizations to share threat intelligence and collaborate on investigations into ransomware attacks.
Phishing Attacks
PHISHING ATTACKS Phishing attacks are cyberattacks in which malicious actors attempt to trick individuals into divulging sensitive information such as usernames, passwords, credit card numbers, or other personal data. These attacks typically occur via email but can also happen through other communication channels like text messages, social media, or phone calls. True cases and examples Bait: The attacker sends out fraudulent communications, often impersonating a trusted entity such as a bank, social media platform, or a reputable company. These messages are designed to appear legitimate and may include logos, branding, and other elements to deceive recipients. Hook: The message contains a call to action, such as clicking on a link, downloading an attachment, or providing personal information. The goal is to lure the recipient into taking the desired action under pretenses. Deception: The linked webpage or downloaded file may lead to a fake login page, a malicious website, or a malware-infected attachment. If the recipient falls for the deception and interacts with the malicious content, their sensitive information could be compromised, or malware could be installed on their device. Phishing attacks can vary in sophistication, ranging from simple, generic emails to highly targeted and personalized messages known as spear phishing. Spear phishing attacks often involve extensive research to craft convincing messages tailored to specific individuals or organizations, making them harder to detect. Recent attacks A legitimate-looking Google search advertisement for the crypto trading platform Whales Market impersonates Whales Market to push wallet drainer malware. The advertisement redirects visitors to a wallet-draining phishing site that steals all their assets. LabHost phishing service with 40,000 domains disrupted, 37 arrested: The LabHost phishing-as-a-service (PhaaS) platform was disrupted in a year-long global law enforcement operation that compromised the infrastructure and arrested 37 suspects, including the original developer. FIN7 targets American automaker’s IT staff in phishing attacks: The financially motivated threat actor FIN7 targeted a giant U.S. carmaker with spear-phishing emails for employees in the IT department to infect systems with the Anunak backdoor Chrome Enterprise gets Premium security, but you have to pay for it: Google has announced a new version of its browser for organizations, Chrome Enterprise Premium, which comes with extended security controls for a monthly fee per user. Hackers impersonate U.S. government agencies in BEC attacks: A gang of hackers specialized in business email compromise (BEC) attacks and tracked as TA4903 has impersonated various U.S. government entities to lure targets into opening malicious files carrying links to fake bidding processes. A new phishing attack steals your Instagram backup codes to bypass 2FA: A new phishing campaign pretending to be a 'copyright infringement' email attempts to steal the backup codes of Instagram users, allowing hackers to bypass the two-factor authentication configured on the account.
How to prevent your organization from Phishing attacks? The use of innovative solutions that can find any unwanted footprint before exiting by multi-sophisticated log-in credentials and identify any anomaly if planted from inside.CyberGhost uses Artificial intelligence and Machine learning to connect all endpoints in a neural network that interfaces with the two layers of authentication and authorization to prevent unauthorized users from getting to the data. In simple language, it acts as an investigator to investigate each attempt to temper or get access to the data to make data visible to them; otherwise, the data disappears. In addition, the following steps may help additional guidelines to avoid falling into a phishing trap. Be cautious: Be skeptical of unsolicited emails, especially those requesting personal information or urging urgent action. Verify: Double-check the sender's email address, look for spelling or grammatical errors in the message, and scrutinize any links or attachments before interacting with them. Use security tools: Employ email filtering, antivirus software, and web filters to detect and block phishing attempts. Educate: Provide cybersecurity awareness training to employees and individuals so they can recognize phishing red flags and respond appropriately to suspicious messages.
DDOS Attacks
DISTRIBUTED DENIAL OF SERVICE ATTACK DDOS A Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attack is a malicious attempt to disrupt the normal functioning of a targeted server, service, or network by overwhelming it with a flood of internet traffic. Unlike traditional Denial of Service (DoS) attacks, which are carried out by a single source, DDoS attacks involve multiple compromised systems, often referred to as "bots" or "zombies," that are coordinated to flood the target with a massive volume of requests or data packets. Actual cases and examples/How the attack happens Botnet Formation: The attacker gains control over many internet-connected devices, such as computers, servers, routers, IoT devices, or even smartphones, by infecting them with malware or exploiting vulnerabilities. These compromised devices become part of a botnet, a network of enslaved devices under the attacker's command. Coordination: The attacker orchestrates the botnet to send traffic to the target server or network. Depending on the attack's nature, this traffic flood can consist of various types of requests, such as HTTP requests, UDP or TCP packets, or even malformed data packets. Overwhelm: The targeted server or network becomes overwhelmed by the sheer volume of incoming traffic, causing it to slow down, become unresponsive, or even crash. This results in a denial of service to legitimate users who cannot access the targeted service or website. DDoS attacks can be categorized based on various characteristics, including the type of traffic they generate (e.g., volumetric, protocol, or application layer attacks) and their duration and intensity. Some attackers may launch DDoS attacks for financial gain, political motives, or competitive advantage or to cause disruption and chaos. Recent Attacks: Multiple botnets exploiting one-year-old TP-Link flaw to hack routers: At least six distinct botnet malware operations are hunting for TP-Link Archer AX21 (AX1800) routers vulnerable to a command injection security issue reported and addressed last year. PurpleFox malware infects thousands of computers in Ukraine: The Computer Emergency Response Team in Ukraine (CERT-UA) warns about a PurpleFox malware campaign that has infected at least 2,000 computers. No, 3 million electric toothbrushes were not used in a DDoS attack: A widely reported story that 3 million electric toothbrushes were hacked with malware to conduct distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks is likely a hypothetical scenario instead of an actual attack. MySQL servers targeted by 'Ddostf' DDoS-as-a-Service botnet: MySQL servers are being targeted by the 'Ddostf' malware botnet to enslave them for a DDoS-as-a-Service platform whose firepower is rented to other cybercriminals OpenAI confirms DDoS attacks behind ongoing ChatGPT outages: During the last 24 hours, OpenAI has been addressing what it describes as "periodic outages" linked to DDoS attacks affecting its API and ChatGPT services. German financial agency site disrupted by DDoS attack since Friday: The German Federal Financial Supervisory Authority (BaFin) announced today that an ongoing distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attack has impacted its website since Friday.
How to prevent your organization from DDOS attacks? CyberGhost has features to prevent DDoS from happening as the system identifies users and certifies users against the possibility of being subject as enslaved by the orchestrating bad actors. All unrecognized or authorized users will face the Ghost Technology tactics to make the IP blank and divert the attack to the red team or law enforcement. However, To mitigate the impact of DDoS attacks, organizations can employ various defensive measures, such as: Network Monitoring: Implementing network traffic monitoring tools to detect abnormal patterns or spikes in traffic that may indicate a DDoS attack. Traffic Filtering: Using firewalls, intrusion detection systems (IDS), and intrusion prevention systems (IPS) to filter out malicious traffic and block known attack sources. Content Delivery Networks (CDNs): Deploying CDNs to distribute and absorb traffic across multiple servers and data centers, reducing the impact of DDoS attacks on the origin server. DDoS Mitigation Services: Subscribing to specialized DDoS mitigation services offered by internet service providers (ISPs) or third-party vendors to identify and mitigate DDoS attacks in real time. Rate Limiting: Implementing rate-limiting measures to restrict the number of requests or connections from individual IP addresses, preventing the system from being overwhelmed. Scalable Infrastructure: Designing scalable infrastructure that can dynamically adjust resources to handle sudden spikes in traffic during DDoS attacks without impacting performance.
Samples of Recent Cyber Attacks in Financial Institutions
Collapsible text is great for longer section titles and descriptions. It gives people access to all the info they need, while keeping your layout clean. Link your text to anything, or set your text box to expand on click. Write your text here...
The Fight over $10,000 in Crypto Currency
In May 2023, a group of experts in the blue team raised a bet on the Aegis Cyber encryption system. They raised $10K in Cryptocurrency in the Aegis Cyber Ghost Vault. After 48 hours, it becomes evident that the challenge is not to overcome the first level (out of 5). They invited ten more friends and colleagues. In 3 days, the number of challenges expands to reach 92 individuals. They then raised the prize to $20K with a deadline of one week from the starting date. By the midnight deadline, no one has reached level one, and stay tuned for a national competition to be announced soon!
Financial services provider in DC implemented Aegis Cyber Ghost V.011 as a department pilot case
Hackers took over the Financial institute and requested ransom.
All departments were subject to the attack except the pilot unit
Our system thwarted the inside attack.