Spider ransomware on the rise

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Spider ransomware which was first detected by researchers from Netskope in Dec’17 is now found spreading malicious files via phishing campaign that gives victims a 96-hour deadline.

Researchers say that this time the developers of the said malware are circulating the malicious word files as attachments which can be auto-synced to enterprise cloud storage and collaboration apps.

That means there is a high probability for a system to get infected by downloading a malicious file from cloud storage rather than from opening an infected file attached to a phishing email.

In general, there is a common computer security notion that files being accessed from cloud storage services are malware free. And when those files are downloaded onto a system the endpoint security tool will easily detect those which are having nefarious intentions.

But in practical, the downloaded file can get to different places where it could avoid itself from being detected by an anti-malware solution. Even if you opt for a full scan, few of the files can go undetected as it affects the performance of a system on an overall note.

Now, coming to Spider Ransomware, the said authors of this malware are demanding a ransom to be paid in bitcoins. And if the victim chooses to ignore such calls, then there is a chance that the encrypted files will get deleted after a time frame of 96 hours from the day of the system get infected.

Netskope recommends scanning files that are being uploaded/downloaded to cloud services as it helps in keeping the computer users safe from Spider ransomware attacks.

Note- Currently, there is no decryption key for the said ransomware and the only thing you can do is to protect your PC from such computer infections with endpoint security solutions.

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Naveen Goud is a writer at Cybersecurity Insiders covering topics such as Mergers & Acquisitions, Startups, Cyber Attacks, Cloud Security and Mobile Security

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