Beautiful Virgin Islands

Wednesday, Aug 27, 2025

A ransomware attack can begin in surprisingly simple ways

A ransomware attack can begin in surprisingly simple ways

Hackers often look for cracks in an organization's human shield
Ransomware can sneak into an organization by simple deception.

Often referred to as social engineering, hackers often look for cracks in the human shield at organizations.

This lets the attackers in the door, allowing them to gain higher "privileges" – or a higher level of security access – in a computer network; the key to carrying out a ransomware attack.

"Social engineering attacks can be executed to escalate privilege and gain more sensitive information and access over a series of attacks," Alethe Denis, social engineering expert and consultant for Critical Insight, told Fox Business.

Most cyberattacks – about 70 percent – are related to email phishing, Denis said. Phishing emails – which appear to come from a trusted source – are a simple but effective form of social engineering.

A more sophisticated approach involves a "well-thought-out and formally planned attack that has one or more social engineering elements," Denis said, adding that this kind of ransomware attack might, for example, target the oil and gas sector.

This approach may employ the gathering of seemingly innocuous information via a phone call, email or text message.

"While some of us think that we would be able to defend against these things, all of us are actually very much susceptible to these types of attacks," Denis explains in a recent video on the topic.

Attackers can essentially turn somebody in an organization into an unwitting insider.

"[Attackers are] going to hedge bets on using helpful employees whose job function is to be helpful, perform customer service or otherwise be receptive to requests and handle requests – those types of roles within your company are going to be targeted," Denis says in the video.

Denis gives one example of a company issuing a press release about their most recent charitable-giving campaign in which they mention a specific charity and a specific dollar amount that the campaign raised.

"The attacker would be able to then learn the name of the charity, the amount of money that was raised through the campaign and incorporate these into their development of a solid phish [email]," she says in the video.

"They could use logos of the charity … to pose as a representative from the charity and then incentivize the company to … engage with the email based on the fact that they promise some kind of recognition. Either an award or some kind of collaborative marketing effort to bring attention to this campaign," Denis says in the video.

Social media is also a favorite target.

"Social media is a bad actor's best friend and houses an immense amount of data that can be leveraged against businesses," Denis told Fox Business.

The larger point is, once the attacker gets a foothold, ransomware unfolds over a series of attacks, "resulting in a series of smaller compromises and finally one larger compromise to a company's data or systems," Denis said.

Though the final attack is the one that makes the news, the first stages of an attack are part of "an onion with many layers and take thoughtful time and planning."
Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
Spotify’s Strange Move: The Feature Nobody Asked For – Returns
Manhunt in Australia: Armed Anti-Government Suspect Kills Police Officers Sent to Arrest Him
China Launches World’s Most Powerful Neutrino Detector
How Beijing-Linked Networks Shape Elections in New York City
Ukrainian Refugee Iryna Zarutska Fled War To US, Stabbed To Death
Elon Musk Sues Apple and OpenAI Over Alleged App Store Monopoly
2 Australian Police Shot Dead In Encounter In Rural Victoria State
Vietnam Evacuates Hundreds of Thousands as Typhoon Kajiki Strikes; China’s Sanya Shuts Down
UK Government Delays Decision on China’s Proposed London Embassy Amid Concerns Over Redacted Plans
A 150-Year Tradition to Be Abolished? Uproar Over the Popular Central Park Attraction
A new faith called Robotheism claims artificial intelligence isn’t just smart but actually God itself
Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner Purchases Third Property Amid Housing Tax Reforms Debate
HSBC Switzerland Ends Relationships with Over 1,000 Clients from Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Qatar, and Egypt
Sharia Law Made Legally Binding in Austria Despite Warnings Over 'Incompatible' Values
Italian Facebook Group Sharing Intimate Images Without Consent Shut Down Amid Police Investigation
Dutch Foreign Minister Resigns Amid Deadlock Over Israel Sanctions
Trump and Allies Send Messages of Support to Ukraine on Independence Day Amid Ongoing Conflict
China Reels as Telegram Chat Group Shares Hidden-Camera Footage of Women and Children
Sam Nicoresti becomes first transgender comedian to win Edinburgh Comedy Award
Builders uncover historic human remains in Lancashire house renovation
Australia Wants to Tax Your Empty Bedrooms
MotoGP Cameraman Narrowly Avoids Pedro Acosta Crash at Hungarian Grand Prix
FBI Investigates John Bolton Over Classified Documents in High-Profile Raids
Report reveals OpenAI pitched national ChatGPT Plus subscription to UK ministers
Labour set to freeze income tax thresholds in long-term 'stealth' tax raid
Coca‑Cola explores sale of Costa coffee chain
Trial hears dog walker was chased and fatally stabbed by trio
Restaurateur resigns from government hospitality council over tax criticism
Spanish City funfair shut after serious ride injury
Suspected arson at Ilford restaurant leaves three in critical condition
Tottenham beat Manchester City to go top of Premier League
Bank holiday heatwave to hit 30°C before remnants of Hurricane Erin arrive
UK to deploy immigration advisers to West Africa to block fake visas
Nurse who raped woman continued working for a year despite police alert
Drought forces closures of England’s canal routes, canceling boat holidays
Sweet tooth scents: food-inspired perfumes surge as weight-loss drugs suppress appetites
Experts warn Britain dangerously reliant on imported food
Family of Notting Hill Carnival murder victim call event unmanageable
Bunkers, Billions and Apocalypse: The Secret Compounds of Zuckerberg and the Tech Giants
Ukraine Declares De Facto War on Hungary and Slovakia with Terror Drone Strikes on Their Gas Lifeline
Animated K-pop Musical ‘KPop Demon Hunters’ Becomes Netflix’s Most-Watched Original Animated Film
New York Appeals Court Voids Nearly $500 Million Civil Fraud Penalty Against Trump While Upholding Fraud Liability
Elon Musk tweeted, “Europe is dying”
Far-Right Activist Convicted of Incitement Changes Gender and Demands: "Send Me to a Women’s Prison" | The Storm in Germany
Hungary Criticizes Ukraine: "Violating Our Sovereignty"
Will this be the first country to return to negative interest rates?
Child-free hotels spark controversy
North Korea is where this 95-year-old wants to die. South Korea won’t let him go. Is this our ally or a human rights enemy?
Hong Kong Launches Regulatory Regime and Trials for HKD-Backed Stablecoins
China rehearses September 3 Victory Day parade as imagery points to ‘loyal wingman’ FH-97 family presence
×