Ultima Blog

Cyber Security Week of Horrors

Written by Martin Collins | 25-Oct-2017 12:02:00

Halloween is upon us and the timing isn’t lost on global threat actors. Two major security incidents are raising their heads this week - Reaper and Bad Rabbit.

Reaper

Firstly, experts are warning of a hurricane forming around a botnet called “Reaper”. Last year we witnessed some of the worlds top online sites being hit by a DDOS attack linked to the Mirai Botnet, one of the largest ever seen. Like Mirai, Reaper aims to enslave IOT (Internet of Things) devices such as cameras, routers and digital video recorders.

The exact size of the bot isn’t yet known, but it's estimated the number of devices compromised is set to run into the millions. The intended target is also yet unknown, but one thing is for sure - when this storm breaks it will cause extensive outages.

Bad Rabbit

Secondly, a new ransomware outbreak has struck affecting companies across eastern Europe, starting in Russia and now spreading through Turkey and Germany.

Unlike other recent malware epidemics which spread through more passive means, Bad Rabbit requires a potential victim to download and execute a bogus Adobe Flash installer file, thereby infecting themselves. 

How We Can Help

In both cases Next Generation Threat Prevention technologies, such as IPS signatures, DDOS mitigation and Sandboxing technologies will prevent these threats.

For more information on Ultima’s recommended solutions please see the links below:

A New IoT Botnet Storm is Coming
Ransom:Win32/Tibbar.A

Our independent security review can also identify gaps and provide recommendations around areas in which your organisation may be vulnerable to threats. Download our Cyber Security Assessment below to find out more about how we can help:

- By Martin Collins (Head of Networking & Security)