No one is untouchable in the ransomware industry. Cybercriminals have the audacity to strike major conglomerates and government institutions around the world. Even ransomware removal experts in the world’s IT center, Silicon Valley are unable to counter this particular niche of malware. A statistics report published facts and figures in early 2018 that have singled-out the ballooning ransomware menace in the Asian country Vietnam. Industries that were considered the most susceptible to such infiltrations were the trade and finance businesses. A Vietnamese cybersecurity company Bkav reported that the malware attacks have already cost $540 million in damages to the Vietnamese citizens.
A Familiar Foe
The situation has further been complicated with the latest reports signaling the arrival of a notorious ransomware campaign into the Vietnamese IT circles. Ransomware removal reporters learned that the Vietnam Computer Emergency Response Team (VNCERT) has notified organizational and government sector of a digital pandemic; GandCrab Ransomware is wrecking the cybersecurity space in Vietnam. The amount of ransom that users were coerced to pay for ransomware removal and recovery ranges from $400 to $1000.
VNCERT categorized the international ransomware’s infection as ‘extremely dangerous’. Ransomware removal reporters failed to get the estimated damages as well as the costs that were incurred in the Vietnamese business industry in the aftermath of the ransomware’s explosive entry.
Recommended Security Measures
In order to escape GandCrab, VNCERT has published a few ‘Dos and Don’ts’. Clicking on links that arouse even a hint of suspicion is discouraged, while emails that are attached with files need to be viewed carefully. Moreover, VNCERT has specifically cautioned organizations to monitor the traffic coming into their systems and reform their cybersecurity with appropriate security measures that can include the updating of firewalls. In case a ransomware still bypasses the security of an organization; quick isolation of servers is advised.
