{"id":56010,"date":"2024-05-07T04:01:46","date_gmt":"2024-05-07T04:01:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.threatshub.org\/blog\/ransomware-evolves-from-mere-extortion-to-psychological-attacks\/"},"modified":"2024-05-07T04:01:46","modified_gmt":"2024-05-07T04:01:46","slug":"ransomware-evolves-from-mere-extortion-to-psychological-attacks","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.threatshub.org\/blog\/ransomware-evolves-from-mere-extortion-to-psychological-attacks\/","title":{"rendered":"Ransomware evolves from mere extortion to ‘psychological attacks’"},"content":{"rendered":"

RSAC<\/span> Ransomware infections have morphed into “a psychological attack against the victim organization,” as criminals use increasingly personal and aggressive tactics to force victims to pay up, according to Google-owned Mandiant.<\/p>\n

“We saw situations where threat actors essentially SIM swap the phones of children of executives, and start making phone calls to executives, from the phone numbers of their children,” Charles Carmakal, Mandiant’s CTO, recounted during a Google Security Threat Intelligence Panel at this year’s RSA Conference in San Francisco on Monday.<\/p>\n

“Think about the psychological dilemma that the executive goes through \u2013 seeing a phone call from the children, picking up the phone and hearing that it’s somebody else’s voice? Sometimes, it’s caller ID spoofing. Other times, we see demonstrated SIM swapping family members.” Either way, it’s horrifying.<\/p>\n

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Seeing a phone call from the children, picking up the phone, and hearing that it’s somebody else’s voice…<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

It’s the next step in the evolution of ransomware tactics, which have now moved far beyond simply encrypting victims’ files and even stealing their data. <\/p>\n

Over the past couple of years, we’ve seen attacks that have diverted ambulances<\/a>, prevented patients from accessing critical<\/a> medications and services, leaked cancer battlers<\/a>‘ nudes, swatted patients<\/a> at their homes \u2013 and all manner of other vile extortion attempts.<\/p>\n