CERT-In or The Indian Computer Emergency Response Team has recently notified all Windows users regarding CLOP, the latest ransomware which can be easily distributed via fake trojans, software updates, cracks, spam emails, and unofficial downloading of software. Once there has been a compromise of the user system, information gets leaked when the ransomware negotiations have fallen through.
Sharing more information around the same, Adam Palmer, Chief Cybersecurity Strategist at Tenable said, “CLOP appears to have been recognized by security researchers since 2019 as a variant of other common malware attacks. The reality is the monetization of ransomware is the result of poor cyber hygiene practices such as failing to patch exploitable vulnerabilities and avoiding the common methods by which this malware is distributed – phishing emails, preventing unofficial software updates or downloads, and so on.”
He further added that security experts are suspecting that the bug (CVE-2019-19781) in the Citrix Netscaler ADC VPN gateway has been used for carrying out the attack and thus it’s crucial that users patch the vulnerability right away!
Palmer also noted that victims shouldn’t meet the demands of the ransomware and make payments when they don’t have any other option left with them. Victims need to realize that they are dealing with criminals who aren’t trustworthy and therefore payments won’t provide guaranteed access to data.
