Speaker 1: Welcome to another deep dive. This time we're gonna be
Speaker 1: taking a look at ransomware. Yeah, you gave us this
Speaker 1: excerpt from a book. It's called Preventing Ransomware. Oh wow,
Speaker 1: so you know, right off the bat, it sounds like
Speaker 1: we're in for a treat. Yeah, but thankfully we have
Speaker 1: expert speaker here to help guide us through this.
Speaker 2: Happy to be here, all right.
Speaker 1: So to kind of set the stage, yeah, the book
Speaker 1: takes us back to, you know, the early days of malware. Okay,
Speaker 1: you remember, like the I Love You worm? Oh yeah,
Speaker 1: you know, looking back now, it almost seems quaint, doesn't it.
Speaker 2: It really does. It's like back then, malware was almost playful, right,
Speaker 2: you know, I Love You. It would spread through emails
Speaker 2: and it would like replace files, but it was mainly
Speaker 2: just about disruption. It wasn't really about you know, making money.
Speaker 1: Right now it's all about the money exactly. The malware
Speaker 1: is all grown up.
Speaker 2: Yeah, it's it's matured really very much.
Speaker 1: So. So how did we get from like those early
Speaker 1: days who just kind of and around to where we
Speaker 1: are now?
Speaker 2: Well, I think a big part of it is that
Speaker 2: shift towards profit, right, Yeah, as online systems became more
Speaker 2: and more essential to businesses and individuals. The potential for
Speaker 2: financial gain just became too tempting for attackers to resist.
Speaker 1: Yeah, it's like they realized, hey, we can actually make
Speaker 1: money off of this exactly. So let's talk about like
Speaker 1: the different types of ransomware. The book starts with scareware, okay,
Speaker 1: which to me feels like the og trickster.
Speaker 2: Yeah. Scareware is all about deception, right, and preying on
Speaker 2: people's fear.
Speaker 1: Yeah, like you know those pop ups that scream your
Speaker 1: computer is infected exact click here to download this scanner,
Speaker 1: which is like the malware itself.
Speaker 2: Or those fake anti virus programs with like really sleek
Speaker 2: interfaces that just bombard you with warnings and threats.
Speaker 1: I mean, I'm surprised that stuff still works.
Speaker 2: Yeah, you'd think people would be more savvy to it,
Speaker 2: but you know, there's still plenty of people who aren't
Speaker 2: as tech savvy. Ye, you know, maybe older users or
Speaker 2: just anyone who like panics easily when they see technical jargon,
Speaker 2: they might not realize that legitimate security software doesn't use
Speaker 2: those kinds of aggressive tactics.
Speaker 1: Yeah, yeah, so what about screen lockers?
Speaker 2: Oh, those are interesting.
Speaker 1: Those just like lock you out of your device until
Speaker 1: you pay.
Speaker 2: Yeah. Essentially, they hold your device hostage and they display
Speaker 2: this message demanding payment to unlock it.
Speaker 1: Right. Have you ever encountered one of those?
Speaker 2: I haven't personally, but I know people who have. Yeah,
Speaker 2: and the early versions were pretty simple, but they've gotten
Speaker 2: a lot more sophisticated over time.
Speaker 1: Oh really. Yeah.
Speaker 2: Some of them even mimic like official notices from law enforcement.
Speaker 2: Oh wow, to really amp up that fear factor.
Speaker 1: That's scary. But the book did mention there might be
Speaker 1: ways to like outsmart them.
Speaker 2: Yeah, depending on the complexity of the locker, there are
Speaker 2: potential workarounds like booting into safe mode or using system
Speaker 2: restore points. You know, those aren't always guaranteed to work.
Speaker 1: Yeah, right, right. But now let's get to like the
Speaker 1: really serious stuff crypto ransomware. Okay, this is where things
Speaker 1: get like really interesting and terrifying and terrifying. Yeah yeah, So,
Speaker 1: I mean what makes crypto ransomware so different?
Speaker 2: Well, it's the use of advanced encryption. It's like a
Speaker 2: digital thief changing the locks.
Speaker 1: On your house and then demanding a ransom for the
Speaker 1: key exactly, And even if you pay the ransom.
Speaker 2: There's no guarantee you'll actually get.
Speaker 1: Your data back, right, You're trusting criminals to keep.
Speaker 2: Their word, and criminals aren't exactly known for their honesty.
Speaker 1: Yeah. Good point. So how does this encryption like actually work.
Speaker 2: Well, a lot of them use a combination of symmetric
Speaker 2: and asymmetric encryption. Okay, think of it as a double lock. Okay,
Speaker 2: So they generate a unique key for each file, right,
Speaker 2: and then they encrypt that key with a master key
Speaker 2: that only they have.
Speaker 1: Okay, I'm already lost.
Speaker 2: Complicated stuff.
Speaker 1: Yeah, maybe it'll help if we like look at some
Speaker 1: real world examples. The book starts with jeep Code, which
Speaker 1: was like one of the early ransomware players.
Speaker 2: Yeah. Jeepode is a good example of how ransomware has evolved.
Speaker 1: Okoy.
Speaker 2: It used a relatively weak encryption.
Speaker 1: Algorithm, so it wasn't that sophisticated.
Speaker 2: Not really. No, In fact, some victims are actually able
Speaker 2: to decrypt their files without paying the ransom. Oh really Yeah,
Speaker 2: and it also left traces on the system, which made
Speaker 2: it easier to track.
Speaker 1: So not exactly master criminals at.
Speaker 2: This point, No, not quite.
Speaker 1: The jeep code was kind of a stepping stone.
Speaker 2: Right, Yeah, it paved the way for more sophisticated attacks
Speaker 2: like crypto locker. Exactly.
Speaker 1: That one was a big deal, wasn't it.
Speaker 2: It really was.
Speaker 1: Strong encryption, Bitcoin payments, the whole nine yards.
Speaker 2: It was a whole new level of.
Speaker 1: Threat and it's spread like crazy.
Speaker 2: Yeah. It mainly spread through phishing emails, okay, disguised as
Speaker 2: messages from legitimate companies like FedEx or ups.
Speaker 1: So you would open an attachment and boom, your data
Speaker 1: is locked down.
Speaker 2: Exactly.
Speaker 1: That a trick of tricking people into clicking.
Speaker 2: On things they should It's amazing how effective it still is. Yeah,
Speaker 2: social engineering remains one of the most powerful tools in
Speaker 2: the ransomware.
Speaker 1: Arsenal Right, So from g code to crypto locker, we're
Speaker 1: seeing this trend towards more sophisticated tactics, and then comes
Speaker 1: crypto wall, right, which the book describes as like almost
Speaker 1: treating ransomware like a legitimate business.
Speaker 2: It's fascinating, isn't it. Yeah, they had version updates, support systems,
Speaker 2: the whole works.
Speaker 1: Wait, support systems like they would actually help their victims
Speaker 1: pay the ransom.
Speaker 2: It sounds crazy, but yeah, that's.
Speaker 1: Kind of messed up, it is, But I guess it makes.
Speaker 2: Sense, right, Yeah, the smoother the payment process, the more
Speaker 2: likely victims are to.
Speaker 1: Pay, right, So it's all about maximizing profit.
Speaker 2: It's a twisted kind of customer service.
Speaker 1: Yeah, very twisted. Yeah. And then of course there was Lockie,
Speaker 1: which was like a master of disguise.
Speaker 2: Oh yeah. Lockie was constantly changing its tactics right to
Speaker 2: stay ahead of security measures, so it was really.
Speaker 1: Hard to detect. And then we have Serber, which would
Speaker 1: actually play audio messages demanding payment.
Speaker 2: I know, it's like something out of a horror.
Speaker 1: Movie, right, it's just adding insult to injury exactly. And
Speaker 1: the book also mentioned that Serber used configuration files to
Speaker 1: adapt its behavior.
Speaker 2: Yeah. Those configuration files allowed the attackers to modify Serber
Speaker 2: without having to rewrite the entire code, so.
Speaker 1: They can easily change things like the ransom amount or
Speaker 1: the files they.
Speaker 2: Were targeting, exactly, and made it a very flexible and
Speaker 2: adaptable threat.
Speaker 1: All right. So we've talked about scareware, screen lockers, and
Speaker 1: this whole world of crypto ransomware, but the book also
Speaker 1: mentions another category, boot ransomware.
Speaker 2: Oh yeah, those are nasty like petya.
Speaker 1: So what makes boot ransomware different.
Speaker 2: Well, boot ransomware targets the master boot record or MBR,
Speaker 2: which is basically what's needed to start your computer. So
Speaker 2: by infecting the NBR, Petya could lock down your entire
Speaker 2: system before Windows even had a chance to load. Oh wow,
Speaker 2: which made it incredibly difficult to remove.
Speaker 1: So you turn on your computer, yeah, and instead of
Speaker 1: seeing your desktop, you'd.
Speaker 2: Get a ransom note.
Speaker 1: Yeah, that's a nightmare, it is. Okay, we've covered a
Speaker 1: lot of ground here, we have. I'm already feeling a
Speaker 1: little overwhelmed.
Speaker 2: It's a lot to take in, I know, but you know,
Speaker 2: understanding these threats is the first step to protecting.
Speaker 1: Yourself, right, well said, I think we need a moment
Speaker 1: to just like digest all this before we move on.
Speaker 2: Yeah, good idea.
Speaker 1: All right, let's pick up where we left off, and
Speaker 1: I think it's time to talk about a couple of
Speaker 1: names that you know, really shook things up in the
Speaker 1: world of ransomware. Want to Cry and not Patya.
Speaker 2: Yeah, those were game changers.
Speaker 1: What made them so different from you know, everything else
Speaker 1: we've talked about.
Speaker 2: Well, Want to Cry back in twenty seventeen, really exposed
Speaker 2: how vulnerable a lot of systems were.
Speaker 1: The book called it a global panic inducer, and I remember,
Speaker 1: I mean it was everywhere. It was hospitals, businesses, governments.
Speaker 1: Nobody seemed to be immune to it.
Speaker 2: And that's because it exploited this vulnerability and a system
Speaker 2: that was used for file sharing.
Speaker 1: So it spread really easily.
Speaker 2: Yeah, like wildfire through networks.
Speaker 1: And I guess that's you know, one of the things
Speaker 1: that made it so.
Speaker 2: Scary, right, it showed how interconnected our digital world is yea,
Speaker 2: and how vulnerable we can be because of it.
Speaker 1: And one of the reasons it spread so quickly, as
Speaker 1: I understand it was this self spreading mechanism.
Speaker 2: Yeah, once it infected one system, it could automatically jump
Speaker 2: to other vulnerable computers on the same network.
Speaker 1: So no human interaction required.
Speaker 2: Nope, it was like a digital contagion.
Speaker 1: Just hopping from system to system.
Speaker 2: Exactly, and that made it incredibly difficult to contain.
Speaker 1: Yeah, by the time you realized you were infected, it
Speaker 1: could have already spread to who knows how many other
Speaker 1: systems exactly, So want to cry was bad enough. But
Speaker 1: then there's not Petya, which from what I read, wasn't
Speaker 1: even really about making money.
Speaker 2: That's right, Not Petya was much more destructive. Yeah, it
Speaker 2: was a wiper disguised as ransomware.
Speaker 1: So its goal was to destroy.
Speaker 2: Data exactly, not hold it hosted.
Speaker 1: That's just malicious.
Speaker 2: It was a very targeted and malicious attack.
Speaker 1: The book mentions how it went after the master file table,
Speaker 1: which honestly I don't fully understand. It's pretty technical, but
Speaker 1: the end result was basically mass chaos and damage.
Speaker 2: Right, Yes, yes, not Petia caused a lot of damage
Speaker 2: to businesses and organizations around the world.
Speaker 1: And it's spread using similar techniques as want to Cry.
Speaker 2: Right, Yeah, it exploited the same vulnerability, but its intent
Speaker 2: was purely destructive.
Speaker 1: So we've seen how ransomware has evolved from those early
Speaker 1: days to these global threats like want to Cry and
Speaker 1: not Pettia, and it's pretty clear that there's a serious
Speaker 1: problem that's not going.
Speaker 2: Away, not anytime soon.
Speaker 1: So let's shift gears a little bit and talk about
Speaker 1: how these attacks actually happen. How does ransomware get into
Speaker 1: our systems in the first place.
Speaker 2: That's a great question because understanding the methods of attack
Speaker 2: is the first step to defending yourself, right, and one
Speaker 2: of the most common ways ransomware gets in is through phishing.
Speaker 1: Fishing, that classic attack of tricking people into clicking on
Speaker 1: malicious links or opening infected attachments exactly. You know, it's
Speaker 1: been around foreverything else, but it's still incredibly effective.
Speaker 2: Why do you think that is?
Speaker 1: I mean, I guess it just plays on our human nature.
Speaker 2: Right, Exactly. It exploits our emotions fear, urgency, curiosity.
Speaker 1: Right. So the attackers will create these emails that look
Speaker 1: like they're from a bank, or a government agency, or.
Speaker 2: Even a trusted colleague.
Speaker 1: Yeah, someone you know and trust.
Speaker 2: Right. It's all about social.
Speaker 1: Engineering, manipulating people into letting their guard down exactly. So
Speaker 1: are there any red flags like things we can look
Speaker 1: out for to avoid falling victim to these phishing scams?
Speaker 2: Absolutely? First and foremost, be wary of any unsolicited emails.
Speaker 1: Like if you weren't expecting it, be suspicious.
Speaker 2: Right, especially those that create a sense of urgency or
Speaker 2: pressure you to act quickly.
Speaker 1: Oh yeah, those are always a red flag.
Speaker 2: Right. Also, take a moment to really look at the
Speaker 2: sender's email address. M hmmm, are there any misspellings inconsistencies?
Speaker 1: And don't click on any links and ntil you've hovered
Speaker 1: over them to see the actual URL.
Speaker 2: Yeah, if it looks suspicious, don't click.
Speaker 1: Okay, good advice. But it's not just fishing, right.
Speaker 2: No, there are other ways ransomware can get in, like what, well,
Speaker 2: they're these things called exploit kits.
Speaker 1: Exploit kits, what are those?
Speaker 2: They're basically automated tools that scan for vulnerabilities in your software, okay,
Speaker 2: and then deliver tailored exploits to take advantage of those weaknesses.
Speaker 1: So it's like they're scanning your system for any cracks
Speaker 1: in your armor.
Speaker 2: That's a good way to put it.
Speaker 1: And then they exploit those cracks exactly. And these exploit
Speaker 1: kits they're constantly evolving, right they are.
Speaker 2: They're always incorporating new exploits as vulnerabilities are discovered.
Speaker 1: So it's like an arms race, it is between the
Speaker 1: attackers and the defenders exactly.
Speaker 2: And that's why it's so important to keep your software updated, right.
Speaker 1: Those updates, those pesky updates that we all hate, but
Speaker 1: they're crucial. They're not just about new features. They're often
Speaker 1: patching those vulnerabilities.
Speaker 2: Right, the ones that could be exploited by rants.
Speaker 1: So update your software people, please, It could save you
Speaker 1: a lot of trouble.
Speaker 2: It could.
Speaker 1: And then there's another way ransomware can get in.
Speaker 2: There is that's.
Speaker 1: Even more passive. These drive by downloads.
Speaker 2: Oh, drive by downloads, Yeah, those.
Speaker 1: Are scary one of those exactly.
Speaker 2: Well. Imagine you're visiting a website. Okay, seems harmless enough, right, Yeah,
Speaker 2: You're browsing for information, maybe shopping online, and suddenly, without
Speaker 2: even clicking on anything, your computer's infected with ransomware.
Speaker 1: Wait what I thought you had to download something or
Speaker 1: click on a link. Not always, that's terrifying.
Speaker 2: It can be.
Speaker 1: So just visiting a website can.
Speaker 2: Be risky to a certain extent.
Speaker 1: Yes, but there are ways to mitigate these risks, right, absolutely.
Speaker 2: It's all about understanding the threats, yeah, and taking appropriate precautions.
Speaker 1: Okay, so let's talk about those precautions. All right, what
Speaker 1: can we do to protect ourselves from this ever evolving
Speaker 1: threat of ransomware.
Speaker 2: Well, let's start with the basics. Operating system hardening.
Speaker 1: Operating system hardening, what's that?
Speaker 2: It might sound complicated, yeah, but it's really just about
Speaker 2: making your system less vulnerable to attack. Okay, So this
Speaker 2: includes things like disabling.
Speaker 1: Auto un auto run.
Speaker 2: What does that do that prevents programs from automatically launching
Speaker 2: from external devices. Oh yeah, you should also use strong passwords.
Speaker 1: Right, passwords that are hard.
Speaker 2: To guess exactly, And of course keep your system patched
Speaker 2: with the latest security updates.
Speaker 1: Those pesky updates.
Speaker 2: Again, I know, but they're important, right.
Speaker 1: All right, So we've got the basics covered. But what
Speaker 1: about antivirus software. Isn't that enough to protect us?
Speaker 2: Anti virus is important. Yeah, it's a key layer of defense,
Speaker 2: but it's not a fool proof solution.
Speaker 1: So it's not like a magic shield that will block everything.
Speaker 2: No, unfortunately not.
Speaker 1: Why not?
Speaker 2: Well, traditional antivirus relies on signatures to detect known threats, okay.
Speaker 2: And while that can be effective against some ransomware variants, yeah,
Speaker 2: more sophisticated attackers can evade signature based detection.
Speaker 1: So they find ways to sneak past the antivirus exactly.
Speaker 1: But the book does talk about how antivirus has evolved
Speaker 1: to try and combat these more advanced threats. It has like,
Speaker 1: what are some of the things that antivirus is doing
Speaker 1: now to keep up with the bad guys.
Speaker 2: Well, modern antivirus solutions are incorporating more sophisticated techniques, okay,
Speaker 2: like heuristics, which involves analyzing code for suspicious patterns, okay,
Speaker 2: and behavioral analysis, which monitors how programs behave on your system.
Speaker 1: So it's not just about looking for specific files anymore.
Speaker 2: Right, it's about recognizing patterns and behaviors that might indicate
Speaker 2: malicious intent.
Speaker 1: So it's like they're trying to think like the attackers
Speaker 1: in a way. And in addition to antivirus, Windows itself
Speaker 1: has built in security features that can help protect against ransomware.
Speaker 2: Yeah, there are some really useful features like what. Well,
Speaker 2: there's DP, which stands for Data Execution Prevention that prevents
Speaker 2: code from being executed in areas of memory that are
Speaker 2: meant for data.
Speaker 1: Storage, all right, and that helps how.
Speaker 2: It makes it harder for exploits to target key system components.
Speaker 1: Okay. And there's another one.
Speaker 2: Right, Yeah, there's ASLR, which stands for a dress space
Speaker 2: layout Randomization Address space layout what randomization. It basically makes
Speaker 2: it more difficult for exploits to find and target specific
Speaker 2: memory locations.
Speaker 1: So it's like they're constantly moving the target.
Speaker 2: Yeah, that's a good way to think about it.
Speaker 1: So I'm guessing it's a good idea to keep these
Speaker 1: features enabled.
Speaker 2: Absolutely they add an extra layer of protection.
Speaker 1: Okay, good to know. And if you're using Windows eight
Speaker 1: or later, there's another feature called secure boot.
Speaker 2: Oh yeah, secure boot is great.
Speaker 1: What does that do well?
Speaker 2: It's designed to prevent attacks that target the boot process
Speaker 2: like petya exactly. It verifies the integrity of the bootloader,
Speaker 2: which is the program that starts your operating system. So
Speaker 2: it makes sure that only trusted software is loaded during startup.
Speaker 1: So it's like having a bouncer at the door checking
Speaker 1: IDs to make sure only authorize guests get in exactly.
Speaker 1: And speaking of gatekeepers, we can't forget about.
Speaker 2: Fire Oh yeah, firewalls are essential.
Speaker 1: Everyone's heard of them, right, but I'm not sure everyone
Speaker 1: understands how they actually work. Well.
Speaker 2: They act as a barrier between your computer or network
Speaker 2: and the outside world, monitor and control network traffic, blocking
Speaker 2: incoming connections from suspicious sources and preventing unauthorized access to
Speaker 2: your system.
Speaker 1: So they're basically filtering traffic based on certain rules exactly.
Speaker 2: Like who's allowed to connect and what ports they can use.
Speaker 1: So they're like a security checkpoint inspecting the traffic.
Speaker 2: That's a good analogy.
Speaker 1: The book talks about different types of firewalls. Yeah, network
Speaker 1: firewalls and host based firewalls. What's the difference.
Speaker 2: Well, a network firewall protects your entire network, okay, it
Speaker 2: filters traffic between your internal network and the outside world.
Speaker 1: So it's like having a security guard at the entrance
Speaker 1: to your building exactly, checking everyone who comes in and out.
Speaker 1: And a host based firewall.
Speaker 2: That's installed on your individual computer so it protects that
Speaker 2: specific device.
Speaker 1: So it's like having a personal bodyguard exactly. So having
Speaker 1: both types of firewalls is ideal. Ideally, Yeah, it provides
Speaker 1: a more comprehensive layer of protection.
Speaker 2: Right.
Speaker 1: And in addition to firewalls, there are also intrusion detection
Speaker 1: and prevention systems.
Speaker 2: Oh yeah, idips SIPs. What are those, Well, think of
Speaker 2: them as the traffic cops of your network, Okay. They
Speaker 2: analyze network traffic for suspicious patterns that might indicate and attack, so.
Speaker 1: They're like looking for anything out of the ordinary, exactly.
Speaker 1: They come in two flavors, right, IDs and IPS.
Speaker 2: Right. An IDs passively monitors traffic and alerts you to
Speaker 2: potential threats, okay, while an IPS can actively block malicious traffic.
Speaker 1: So they're like having surveillance cameras and security guards working together.
Speaker 2: That's a good analogy.
Speaker 1: And the book mentions something called Snort signatures. How do
Speaker 1: those fit in?
Speaker 2: Well? Snort is a popular open source intrusion detection system, okay,
Speaker 2: and it uses rules called signatures to identify malicious traffic.
Speaker 2: Oh okay, So these rules define patterns of network activity
Speaker 2: that are associated with known attacks or exploits.
Speaker 1: So if the traffic matches a.
Speaker 2: Rule, Snort raises a red flag.
Speaker 1: Okay. So it's like having a security camera that's programmed
Speaker 1: to recognize suspicious behavior exactly. Okay, So we've got anti virus, firewalls,
Speaker 1: intrusion detection systems, the law, I know it is, but
Speaker 1: it sounds like we're building up quite a security arsenal
Speaker 1: here we are. What about dealing with like suspicious files?
Speaker 2: Okay?
Speaker 1: You know, if you come across a file that you
Speaker 1: think might be infected, is there a way to analyze
Speaker 1: it safely without risking infection?
Speaker 2: There is?
Speaker 1: You can use a sandbox a sandbox, right, we talked
Speaker 1: about those earlier. Could you remind us how those work?
Speaker 2: Sure, A sandbox provides a safe, isolated environment where you
Speaker 2: can analyze suspicious files without risking infection. To your actual system.
Speaker 1: So it's like a virtual detonation chamber.
Speaker 2: That's a good way to put it.
Speaker 1: You can safely detonate a potential bomb in there without
Speaker 1: causing any real damage exactly.
Speaker 2: And the sandbox the file's behavior, looking for any malicious
Speaker 2: actions like what like file encryption, network communication with known
Speaker 2: command and control servers, attempts to modify system settings.
Speaker 1: So if the file starts acting shady, you know it's
Speaker 1: bad news and you could just delete it hopefully. So
Speaker 1: sandboxes are a great tool for analyzing those potentially dangerous files,
Speaker 1: especially those that might evade traditional anti virus detection. Right. Okay,
Speaker 1: So we've got all these layers of defense in place, antivirus, firewalls,
Speaker 1: intrusion detection, sandboxes. But what about our data itself?
Speaker 2: Ah, yes, the crown jewel.
Speaker 1: Exactly what can we do to protect the information that's
Speaker 1: most valuable to us?
Speaker 2: Well, that brings us to the last line of defense,
Speaker 2: data protection. Okay, And one of the most powerful tools
Speaker 2: in our data protection arsenal, is encryption.
Speaker 1: Encryption, right, that's about scrambling our data so it's unreadable
Speaker 1: without the decryption key exactly. So even if ransomware does
Speaker 1: manage to infect your system. Encryption can prevent it from
Speaker 1: accessing your valuable files.
Speaker 2: Right, it's like putting your valuables in a safe.
Speaker 1: That only you have the combination too, exactly, And the
Speaker 1: book talks about tools like BitLocker for encrypting our data.
Speaker 2: Yeah, BitLocker is a great option.
Speaker 1: What is BitLocker.
Speaker 2: It's a full disc encryption feature built into certain versions
Speaker 2: of Windows. It encrypts your entire hard drive.
Speaker 1: So even if your device is lost or stolen, the
Speaker 1: data is protective. That's pretty reassuring it is. But what
Speaker 1: if the attacker already has access to your system? That's
Speaker 1: a good question, Like what if they've already bypassed all
Speaker 1: those other layers of defense that we talked about. Yeah,
Speaker 1: is there anything we can do to recover our data
Speaker 1: if it's been encrypted by ransomware?
Speaker 2: Well, that's where backups come in.
Speaker 1: Backups, right, the classic advice.
Speaker 2: It's classic for a reason.
Speaker 1: It works, it does.
Speaker 2: Backups are your safety net. Yeah, in case of a
Speaker 2: ransomware attack or really any other data loss scenario.
Speaker 1: So even if our files are encrypted, we can just
Speaker 1: restore them from a backup.
Speaker 2: Exactly. It's like having a spare key to your house
Speaker 2: in case someone changes the locks.
Speaker 1: I like that analogy.
Speaker 2: Regularly backing up your important data to an external hard
Speaker 2: drive or a cloud storage service or some other secure location.
Speaker 1: It can be a life saver, it really can. And
Speaker 1: what about data loss prevention solutions DLP? Yeah, the book
Speaker 1: mentions those as well.
Speaker 2: Yeah. DLP solutions are designed to detect and prevent sensitive
Speaker 2: data from leaving your organization. They monitor data in use,
Speaker 2: in motion, and at rest, so.
Speaker 1: They're like security guards for your data exactly, watching for
Speaker 1: any suspicious activity.
Speaker 2: Right. They can be a really valuable layer of defense
Speaker 2: against data breaches.
Speaker 1: Including those caused by ransomware that might try to steal
Speaker 1: your data exactly. Okay, Wow, we have covered so much
Speaker 1: ground here. We have, and it's clear that defending against
Speaker 1: ransomware is not a simple task.
Speaker 2: It's not. It's a multifaceted challenge.
Speaker 1: We need to be proactive, yes, vigilant absolutely, and have
Speaker 1: multiple layers of defense in place.
Speaker 2: You got it.
Speaker 1: It's not about being paranoid, right, it's about being informed
Speaker 1: and prepared exactly. I think we've given our list a
Speaker 1: lot to think about here.
Speaker 2: We have.
Speaker 1: Maybe we should take a moment to like recap everything
Speaker 1: we've discussed, okay, and highlight the key takeaways. Sounds good, okay,
Speaker 1: So here we are the final part of our ransomware
Speaker 1: deep dive.
Speaker 2: It's been quite a journey, hasn't it.
Speaker 1: It has. We've covered so much.
Speaker 2: Yeah, We've talked about the history, how these attacks have evolved,
Speaker 2: how they spread, you know, the whole shebang.
Speaker 1: And you know, I hope our listener is feeling more
Speaker 1: informed than intimidated at this point.
Speaker 2: That's the goal.
Speaker 1: So I guess if if there were like just a
Speaker 1: few key takeaways that you want our listeners to remember
Speaker 1: from all of this, what would they be.
Speaker 2: I think the most important thing is to understand that
Speaker 2: ransomware it's a serious threat. Yeah, but it's not unbeatable.
Speaker 1: Okay.
Speaker 2: You can drastically reduce your chances of becoming a victim
Speaker 2: by being proactive and taking those steps to secure your
Speaker 2: systems and your data.
Speaker 1: It's all about prevention exactly.
Speaker 2: Don't wait until it's too late to start thinking about security,
Speaker 2: right right.
Speaker 1: And I guess you know the second big takeaway is
Speaker 1: that this threat landscape is constantly.
Speaker 2: Changing, yeah, always evolving.
Speaker 1: You know, new ransomware variants are popping up all the time,
Speaker 1: and the attackers they're always looking for new ways to
Speaker 1: exploit those vulnerabilities.
Speaker 2: Exactly. It's a never ending game of cat and mouse.
Speaker 1: So we have to stay vigilant.
Speaker 2: Absolutely, never get complacent.
Speaker 1: Keep learning, keep adapting.
Speaker 2: Right, because the bad guys they're not slowing down.
Speaker 1: No, they're not. And then I guess you know. The
Speaker 1: third big takeaway is that even with the best defenses
Speaker 1: in place, Yeah, there's always a chance that something could
Speaker 1: slip through the cracks.
Speaker 2: It's true.
Speaker 1: So we need to have a plan in place.
Speaker 2: Absolutely. You need to know what to do if you
Speaker 2: become a victim of ransomware.
Speaker 1: And the book talks about having an incident response plan. Yes,
Speaker 1: what does that involve?
Speaker 2: Well, an incident response plan outlines all the steps you
Speaker 2: should take if you get hit with ransomware, like isolating infected.
Speaker 1: Systems so you prevent it from spreading.
Speaker 2: Exactly, contacting law enforcement, assessing the damage, that sort of thing. Right,
Speaker 2: Having a plan in place can help you minimize the impact,
Speaker 2: recover more quickly.
Speaker 1: And potentially avoid paying the ransom hopefully. Yeah. So it's
Speaker 1: like you know, having a fire escape plan.
Speaker 2: Exactly.
Speaker 1: You hope you never have to use it, but if
Speaker 1: there's a fire, you know what to do. Be prepared,
Speaker 1: Be prepared exactly. Yeah, okay, Well, this has been a
Speaker 1: really insightful discussion.
Speaker 2: I've enjoyed it.
Speaker 1: Any final thoughts before we wrap things up.
Speaker 2: I think the most important thing is to remember that
Speaker 2: this is a marathon, not a sprint. This fight against ransomware,
Speaker 2: it's an ongoing process. You have to keep learning, adapting,
Speaker 2: staying ahead.
Speaker 1: Of the curve, and don't forget the human element.
Speaker 2: No, that's crucial.
Speaker 1: You know. Ransomware often succeeds because it preys on our vulnerabilities,
Speaker 1: our fear, our urgency, our tendency to just click on
Speaker 1: things without thinking.
Speaker 2: You're right. If we can educate ourselves and others about
Speaker 2: those tactics, we can create a much stronger defense.
Speaker 1: Well said, Yeah, Well, that concludes our deep dive into
Speaker 1: the world of ransomware.
Speaker 2: It's been a pleasure.
Speaker 1: We've covered a lot of ground we have, but hopefully,
Speaker 1: you know our listener feels empowered with the knowledge they
Speaker 1: need to stay safe out there.
Speaker 2: Knowledge is power.
Speaker 1: Absolutely Thanks for joining us on this deep dive. Until
Speaker 1: next time, stay curious,