Malwarebytes: Channel Plays Vital Role in Fighting Malware, Ransomware

LockBit rose to dominion in 2022 and accounted for about one-third of all known ransomware-as-a-service (RaaS) attacks. LockBit’s largest known ransom demand in 2022 was $50 million, although multiple sources report even higher demands were made. LockBit’s victims included businesses of all sizes, from local law firms with a handful of employees to multinational enterprises like Thales Group and Continental.

Emotet is shapeshifting malware that is persistent, prolific, hard to detect and hard to eradicate. Emotet began life in 2014 as a banking trojan used to steal sensitive information. It now acts as a global-scale delivery network for malware, providing cybercriminal gangs with backdoor access to more than 1 million compromised computers.

SocGholish, also known as FakeUpdates, comes disguised as a critical browser update. It is used to gain initial access into an organization’s network. The foothold it creates is then sold to other criminals who use it to download remote access trojans (RATs) or conduct ransomware attacks.

Android droppers represent a category of malware that highlights the danger of overlooking protection for the world’s most popular operating system. In the battle against malware, Android is the forgotten front line. For individuals, stalkerware is the most dangerous threat. For businesses, it’s droppers.

OSX.Genieo is Malwarebytes‘ detection name for a browser hijacker targeting macOS systems that behaves like adware. A browser hijacker is a malware program that modifies web browser settings without the user’s permission. It redirects the user to websites the user didn’t intend to visit.