Ransomware and Cyber Extortion

Sherri Davidoff, CEO of LMG Security and author of Data Breaches, has been called a "security badass" by the New York Times. An instructor at the renowned Black Hat cybersecurity trainings, she is a GIAC-certified forensic analyst (GCFA) and penetration tester (GPEN). She holds a degree in computer science and electrical engineering from MIT. Matt Durrin, the Director of Training and Research at LMG Security, is a popular speaker at national conferences and training venues. His malware research has been featured on the NBC Nightly News. Karen Sprenger, LMG Security's COO and chief ransomware negotiator, is a noted industry expert, speaker, trainer, and course developer with 25+ years of security/IT experience. She is a GIAC-certified forensic examiner (GCFE) and Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP).

Preface xxi
Acknowledgments xxvii
About the Authors xxix

Chapter 1: Impact 1
1.1 A Cyber Epidemic 3
1.2 What Is Cyber Extortion? 4
1.3 Impacts of Modern Cyber Extortion 7
1.4 Victim Selection 15
1.5 Scaling Up 18
1.6 Conclusion 24
1.7 Your Turn! 24

Chapter 2: Evolution 27
2.1 Origin Story 28
2.2 Cryptoviral Extortion 29
2.3 Early Extortion Malware 30
2.4 Key Technological Advancements 31
2.5 Ransomware Goes Mainstream 38
2.6 Ransomware-as-a-Service 39
2.7 Exposure Extortion 40
2.8 Double Extortion 43
2.9 An Industrial Revolution 45
2.10 Conclusion 60
2.11 Your Turn! 61

Chapter 3: Anatomy of an Attack 63
3.1 Anatomy Overview 63
3.2 Entry 65
3.3 Expansion 72
3.4 Appraisal 76
3.5 Priming 77
3.6 Leverage 80
3.7 Extortion 85
3.8 Conclusion 88
3.9 Your Turn! 88

Chapter 4: The Crisis Begins! 91
4.1 Cyber Extortion Is a Crisis 92
4.2 Detection 93
4.3 Who Should Be Involved? 94
4.4 Conduct Triage 98
4.5 Assess Your Resources 102
4.6 Develop the Initial Response Strategy 105
4.7 Communicate 107
4.8 Conclusion 112
4.9 Your Turn! 112

Chapter 5: Containment 115
5.1 The Need for Speed 116
5.2 Gain Access to the Environment 117
5.3 Halting Encryption/Deletion 118
5.4 Disable Persistence Mechanisms 121
5.5 Halting Data Exfiltration 123
5.6 Resolve Denial-of-Service Attacks 124
5.7 Lock Out the Hackers 125
5.8 Hunt for Threats 129
5.9 Taking Stock 133
5.10 Conclusion 134
5.11 Your Turn! 134

Chapter 6: Investigation 137
6.1 Research the Adversary 138
6.2 Scoping 146
6.3 Breach Investigation or Not? 150
6.4 Evidence Preservation 152
6.5 Conclusion 160
6.6 Your Turn! 161

Chapter 7: Negotiation 163
7.1 It's a Business 164
7.2 Establish Negotiation Goals 165
7.3 Outcomes 169
7.4 Communication Methods 171
7.5 Pressure Tactics 173
7.6 Tone, Timeliness, and Trust 176
7.7 First Contact 178
7.8 Sharing Information 179
7.9 Common Mistakes 182
7.10 Proof of Life 183
7.11 Haggling 186
7.12 Closing the Deal 189
7.13 Conclusion 190
7.14 Your Turn! 191

Chapter 8: Payment 193
8.1 To Pay or Not to Pay? 194
8.2 Forms of Payment 197
8.3 Prohibited Payments 198
8.4 Payment Intermediaries 201
8.5 Timing Issues 202
8.6 After Payment 204
8.7 Conclusion 205
8.8 Your Turn! 206

Chapter 9: Recovery 209
9.1 Back up Your Important Data 210
9.2 Build Your Recovery Environment 211
9.3 Set up Monitoring and Logging 214
9.4 Establish Your Process for Restoring Individual Computers 217
9.5 Restore Based on an Order of Operations 219
9.6 Restoring Data 224
9.7 Decryption 227
9.8 It's Not Over 234
9.9 Adapt 235
9.10 Conclusion 236
9.11 Your Turn! 236

Chapter 10: Prevention 239
10.1 Running an Effective Cybersecurity Program 240
10.2 Preventing Entry 250
10.3 Detecting and Blocking Threats 258
10.4 Operational Resilience 261
10.5 Reducing Risk of Data Theft 267
10.6 Solving the Cyber Extortion Problem 269
10.7 Conclusion 274
10.8 Your Turn! 274

Afterword 277

Checklist A: Cyber Extortion Response 279

Checklist B: Resources to Create in Advance 285

Checklist C: Planning Your Response 291

Checklist D: Running an Effective Cybersecurity Program 293

Index 299