Explore how ransomware attacks work, how they infiltrate networks, and what steps individuals and organizations can take to prevent, detect, and recover from ransomware incidents. Articles cover recent ransomware variants, encryption tactics, backup strategies, and incident response planning.
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Last year, a hospital administrator told me she ignored an alert about a credential stuffing attack because she didn't know what that phrase meant. Three days later, her organization was dealing with a ransomware incident that shut down patient scheduling for two weeks. The jargon gap in cybersecurity
During a breach investigation last year, I watched a CFO stare blankly at an incident response report and ask, "What's lateral movement? What does 'exfiltration' mean? Can someone just speak English?" That moment crystallized something I've known for two decades: the cybersecurity
In May 2021, Colonial Pipeline paid a $4.4 million ransom after a single compromised password shut down fuel delivery across the U.S. East Coast. The post-incident reporting was filled with jargon — ransomware, threat actor, credential theft, attack vector — that left most non-technical readers glazing over. Here's
The Colonial Pipeline Attack Changed Everything In May 2021, a single compromised password led to the most disruptive cyberattack on U.S. critical infrastructure in history. DarkSide ransomware shut down Colonial Pipeline's 5,500-mile fuel system, triggering gas shortages across the eastern seaboard. The company paid a $4.
Colonial Pipeline Was Just the Beginning In May 2021, a single compromised password shut down the largest fuel pipeline in the United States. Colonial Pipeline paid DarkSide operators $4.4 million in ransom. Fuel shortages rippled across the Southeast for days. That attack used just one of the many types
Colonial Pipeline Just Gave Us a Real-World Cyber Security Definition On May 7, 2021, a single compromised password shut down the largest fuel pipeline in the United States. Colonial Pipeline halted operations after a ransomware attack attributed to the DarkSide group, triggering fuel shortages across the Southeast. If you want
The Attack That Shut Down a Pipeline — and a Wake-Up Call for Everyone In February 2020, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) published an alert after a ransomware attack forced a natural gas compression facility to shut down for two full days. The threat actor got in through a
In February 2021, Kia Motors America was hit with a ransomware attack reportedly demanding $20 million in Bitcoin. Customers couldn't access dealer portals. Internal systems went dark. The company spent days scrambling to restore operations. This wasn't an isolated event — it was the latest in a
The Colonial Pipeline Wasn't the Wake-Up Call — Your Last Backup Test Was In February 2021, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) issued renewed guidance on ransomware after a string of attacks against hospitals, schools, and local governments. The FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center reported that
A Single Click Cost One Hospital $67 Million In September 2020, Universal Health Services — one of the largest healthcare providers in the U.S. — got hit by the Ryuk ransomware strain. The attack shut down systems across 400 facilities. Patients were diverted. Records went analog. The final damage? An estimated
