American companies paid hackers about $5,2 billion in ransom, information security Novosibirsk

American companies paid hackers about $5,2 billion in ransom, information security Novosibirsk

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The US Treasury Department reported the discovery of $5,2 billion in Bitcoin transactions. Apparently, all of this money was paid to extortionists through ransomware attacks. Moreover, a significant portion of this money ended up in the hands of hackers in 2021. This indicates a significant increase in hacker activity compared to previous years. Consequently, Novosibirsk's information security in the US is currently quite low.

What the Ministry of Finance learned, information security Novosibirsk

Experts from the US Treasury Department released a major report on cybercriminal activity. They reported receiving 458 reports from financial institutions in the first half of 2021. These reports apparently contained information about suspicious financial activity, totaling $590 million. Experts launched an investigation and discovered that the funds were transferred to Bitcoin wallets. Furthermore, each wallet was linked to known hacker groups. Thus, it became clear that criminals were involved in the financial fraud. Information security in Omsk and throughout the country is poor.

It's important to note that, on average, Americans transfer at least $102,3 million to hackers per month. These are enormous sums recorded in 2021. Experts report that the figures in 2020 were much lower. This means that hackers are now using ransomware much more actively in their attacks. At the same time, many company executives know that they shouldn't pay ransoms to hackers. However, they continue to do so anyway, fearing for the safety of their confidential data . As a result, hacker groups not only receive a stable income but can also afford to improve their infrastructure. This means that they have the opportunity to invent more sophisticated viruses every year.

Who is attacking Americans?

First of all, hackers aren't acting alone. In fact, they wouldn't be able to use Bitcoin wallets without anonymous money transfer services. They are responsible for the hackers' income. However, legislation on this issue is currently quite weak. Therefore, it's difficult to hold those responsible for transferring funds liable for damages. Meanwhile, the financial web services themselves earn huge percentages from large transfers. Nevertheless, security experts have decided to fight back against unscrupulous cryptocurrency exchange operators. So that information security in Samara can return to its former glory.

According to the experts' reports, they were able to track the connection to the bitcoin wallet of the operators of 68 different encryptors. In particular, the largest sums were received by the operators of the following viruses:

  • Sodinokibi;
  • Phobos;
  • DarkSide;
  • Conti;
  • Avaddon.

They are responsible for the $5,2 billion loss through American companies. Unfortunately, ransomware activity continues to evolve each year. Most criminals target large companies, where ransom can be demanded. They also frequently damage the infrastructure of entire cities, medical facilities, and financial institutions. Educational institutions and industrial enterprises are also frequently targeted by hackers. As a result, the problem affects not only the company owners themselves but also all employees of these institutions. After all, their data can be lost at any moment. Then, information security in Ufa will never be restored to its previous level.

SEDICOMM University Team : Cisco Academy , Linux Professional Institute , Python Institute.