Fraud Management & Cybercrime , Ransomware

Why Ransomware Attacks Keep Getting Worse and Worse

McAfee's Raj Samani and John Fokker Trace Criminals' Increasing Sophistication
Raj Samani, chief scientist, McAfee; John Fokker, head of cyber investigations, McAfee

Security researchers who track ransomware often think such attacks must have hit their peak and can't get any worse - but then they do, say Raj Samani, chief scientist of McAfee, and John Fokker, McAfee's head of cyber investigations. In part, they say, that's because top gangs, in their never-ending quest for greater illicit profits, have successfully become more sophisticated and innovative.

See Also: Ransomware Response Essential: Fixing Initial Access Vector

In a video interview with Information Security Media Group as part of its RSA Conference 2021 coverage, Samani and Fokker, whose RSA presentation is titled "Ransomware: New Recipe For An Old Dish," discuss:

  • The latest trends surrounding gangs who wield crypto-locking malware and extortion;
  • The 5-year-old public/private No More Ransom project's untold origin story.
  • The Operation Diànxùn espionage campaign, which apparently was designed to steal 5G technology secrets.

Samani is the chief scientist of McAfee and a cybersecurity adviser to the EU's law enforcement agency, Europol.

Fokker heads cyber investigations for McAfee Advanced Threat Research. He was previously the project leader for the cybercrime threat intelligence team for the Dutch Police.


About the Author

Mathew J. Schwartz

Mathew J. Schwartz

Executive Editor, DataBreachToday & Europe, ISMG

Schwartz is an award-winning journalist with two decades of experience in magazines, newspapers and electronic media. He has covered the information security and privacy sector throughout his career. Before joining Information Security Media Group in 2014, where he now serves as the executive editor, DataBreachToday and for European news coverage, Schwartz was the information security beat reporter for InformationWeek and a frequent contributor to DarkReading, among other publications. He lives in Scotland.




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