Cybersecurity Awareness Blog
Find the best information on how to protect your organization against cyber threats and empower team members to take an active role within your organization.
Cyber True Crime: The Affiliate Part 5
Welcome back to Part 5 of the Cyber True Crime series The Affiliate. In past blogs, we covered the history of NetWalker, how a RaaS ransomware gang functions, how Sebastien Vachon Desjardins, or the Affiliate, attempted to hide his criminal activity through international servers and in our last blog the organizations he targeted in his attacks. In this installment, we’ll begin to unravel how the FBI began tracking the Affiliate down through the international servers and his multiple email addresses.
Cyber True Crime: The Affiliate Part 4
Welcome back to Part 4 of the cyber true crime series: The Affiliate. In this installment, we’ll cover the organizations that the Affiliate targeted over the span of a few weeks.
Cyber True Crime: The Affiliate Part 3
Welcome back to Part 3 of the cyber true crime series The Affiliate. In Parts 1 and 2 we went over how a ransomware gang typically operates, how an organization finds out they have been the target of a NetWalker ransomware attack and how one becomes involved in the criminal organization. In this installment, you’ll learn how an international server works and how the Affiliate used them.
Global Impact Insights: How to Protect Yourself and Your Organization During These Uncertain Times
The Russian invasion of Ukraine continues to dominate news broadcasts and social media. Beauceron Security CEO, David Shipley, provides his insights into what the cyber threat landscape will look like.
Beauceron Security's 2022 Cybersecurity Predictions
This year we sat down with Beauceron Security CEO, David Shipley, and asked him what his 2022 cybersecurity predictions are. You can listen to David’s full predictions below or keep reading to see a condensed version of what we believe the 2022 cyber landscape may have in store.
Dear Ransomware Gangs: An Open Letter to Cyber Criminals
Last week was an important week for Canada’s stance against ransomware gangs. On Monday, the Canadian Centre for Cyber Security released their “Open letter to Canadian organizations about ransomware.” On Tuesday, CBC’s As it Happens reported on the recent arrest of an Ottawa man allegedly accused of participating in a ransomware gang. Beauceron Security CEO, David Shipley, was interviewed by As it Happens and gave his perspective on the situation.
To listen to David’s full interview with As it Happens, click here.
Ransomware Basics
Ransomware, or ransom malware locks users out of their device or just certain files which can only be decrypted in exchange for a ransom. Back in the 1980s when ransomware attacks were just beginning to appear, cybercriminals would accept payment by mail. However, today payments are made via cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin. In the early days of ransomware, cybercriminals mostly targeted individuals, but gradually shifted to targeting businesses small and large which offered a higher pay out. You don’t even need to be especially technologically talented to become a ransomware attacker now with the growth of ransomware-as-a-service (RaaS).
Data Encryption and Ransomware
Data encryption is a way to keep your data safe by changing it from plain text to ciphertext. Encrypted data can be accessed by someone who has an encryption key and decrypted data can be accessed with a decryption key. Unencrypted data remains a liability and cyber risk for organizations in the event that a ransomware gang steals their data and publishes it online.