Ransomware Takes Advantage of Outdated VPNs

There is no doubt that ransomware is one of the most important threats that we can suffer on the network. An attacker could encrypt our system or device and ask for a ransom in return. This way he could gain control and ask for a ransom in return. Now, in order for them to launch this type of attack, in many cases they will need the victim to make a mistake. In this article, we discuss how they can launch a ransomware attack against outdated and insecure VPNs.

Ransomware Takes Advantage of Outdated VPNs

Ransomware takes advantage of outdated VPNs

The VPN are widely used today both by private users as well as companies. They are used to encrypt the connection, access restricted content and also to navigate with greater security on public networks. But you have to take care of them, you have to keep them updated and always install services that are reliable.

As indicated by Capcom , last year they suffered a ransomware attack that took advantage of an old VPN device, without updating. This allowed attackers to gain access to the network, compromise devices, and steal personal information from thousands of users. A classic of this type of threat.

Specifically, it was the Ragnar Locker ransomware , which stole more than 1 TB of data from Capcom and demanded about 10 million euros in ransom in exchange for decrypting the content and not making it public. But of course, how could they carry out this attack?

Now from Capcom they indicate that they took advantage of a VPN that they had outdated and was old. From there they were able to access office equipment from both the United States and Japan. This allowed the ransomware to be introduced and all files encrypted to achieve its goal. They also paralyzed the servers and email.

RaaS ransomware problem

Why it is essential to keep everything up to date

The Capcom case we mentioned is not unique. In this case, it is a large organization that has suffered a major ransomware attack . However, it can also occur at the user level, since there are many who neglect their systems, programs, VPN …

From RedesZone we always recommend keeping the equipment correctly updated . It is very important to correct any vulnerability that could put computers at risk, which could be exploited by hackers to deploy their attacks. In another article we already talked about updating the network card in Windows . It is a very important process to avoid problems.

Ransomware is undoubtedly one of the most important threats and on many occasions it will require that there is a security flaw in the operating system, that we are using a vulnerable program or, even, a careless and outdated VPN . There are many types of computer networks and you need to keep them secure.

Therefore, we must always keep everything correctly updated. We must avoid sensitive devices that may be vulnerable, do not receive regular updates and are outdated. The same would happen with physical devices, since in many cases they are exploited by attackers. We must take special care of all those that are connected to the network, such as routers, Wi-Fi repeaters … But also at the software level.