Intelligent CIO North America Issue 13 | Page 83

FINAL WORD offer to do penetration testing , while others may go into malware development and attacking . different modules ( malicious bootloaders , runners , decrypters , etc ) and test it on real-world subjects .
Almost all new entrants into the game are looking to build something and see what they can get past our defenses . Almost all of those that I interviewed over the last year are getting into ransomware , which could explain why SonicWall saw a 62 % rise in this malware type in 2020 .
After a round of attacks , they will go to VirusTotal to see if anyone has identified their strain . After discovery , they will make changes to the code , ensuring any files used hash differently ( hashing a file is how a computer identifies a file ). They ’ ll also improve a strain ’ s performance to make it more effective .
The strains they are building are becoming so advanced that it scares me . They have moved from idolizing fictional characters to becoming the real attackers . In the case of Hildacrypt , they have moved from making their own version of Petya to driving to create a strain modeling the tactics of the crew that developed SamSam ransomware .
Faster development
Other bands of people will join fellow attackers to create ransomware and other forms of malware with
After this , the next attack launches , and the cycle repeats itself . For instance , WannaCry had numerous versions come out within the initial weeks of the first major attacks . While VirusTotal isn ’ t the end-all
The threat landscape is as active as it is because of many new entrants to the game and faster development .
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