Office 365 Users Target of Cerber Ransom Attack
Posted by: Timothy Weaver on 06/28/2016 08:51 AM
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A massive zero-day Cerber ransomware attack has been let loose targeting Microsoft Office 365 subscribers.
Steven Toole, a researcher for Avanan, said that he first notice the attack at 6:44 a.m. on June 22. He added that of the 18.2 million Office 365 subscribers, at least 57% were targeted.
The spam email contains a malicious attachment that when clicked on not only starts encrypting your files, but also makes an audio announcement on how to pay the ransom.
Microsoft took 24 hours to start addressing the attacks and blocking the attachment which demands a ransom of $500 for the encryption key.
“This attack seems to be a variation of a virus originally detected on network mail servers back in early March of this year," Toole wrote. "As it respawned into a second life, this time Cerber was widely distributed after its originator was apparently able to easily confirm that the virus was able to bypass the Office 365 built-in security tools through a private Office 365 mail account.”
Source: SCMagazine
Steven Toole, a researcher for Avanan, said that he first notice the attack at 6:44 a.m. on June 22. He added that of the 18.2 million Office 365 subscribers, at least 57% were targeted. The spam email contains a malicious attachment that when clicked on not only starts encrypting your files, but also makes an audio announcement on how to pay the ransom.
Microsoft took 24 hours to start addressing the attacks and blocking the attachment which demands a ransom of $500 for the encryption key.
“This attack seems to be a variation of a virus originally detected on network mail servers back in early March of this year," Toole wrote. "As it respawned into a second life, this time Cerber was widely distributed after its originator was apparently able to easily confirm that the virus was able to bypass the Office 365 built-in security tools through a private Office 365 mail account.”
Source: SCMagazine
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