Our Insights
Providing you the latest industry-specific news and insights.
Fool Us Once … BlackMatter Initial Access Tactics Point to a Possible REvil Association
BY CYBER THREAT INTELLIGENCE TEAM Arete observed an overlap between a recent BlackMatter case and a Q1 2021 REvil case. In both instances, the actors leveraged the NodeJS-based Gootloader to deliver a CobaltStrike payload. In a March 2021 insight,…
Read morePYSA: 2020 to Now
BY ARETE CYBER THREAT INTELLIGENCE TEAM PYSA is the newest variant of the Mespinoza Ransomware as a Service (RaaS) family, which was first observed infecting victims in the wild in December 2019. PYSA is likely a reference to the open-source web…
Read moreQ2 2021 Crimeware Report: Crime and No Punishment
Like legitimate businesspeople, threat actors are always looking for ways to optimize operations and boost profits. With time and impunity on their side, some started to get more creative in Q2 2021.
Read moreTeach a Man Not to Be Phished
BY KEVIN BAKER Email phishing scams are rampant. And to help you avoid falling victim to one, I’m offering five easy to-dos. 1. STAY ALERT. When it comes to defeating cybercrime, awareness is step number one. While deceptive emails aren’t the…
Read moreDear Ramey: Bad Guys Deleted Our Data. How Do We Get It Back?
ANSWERING BURNING QUESTIONS FROM VICTIMS OF CYBER EVENTS DEAR RAMEY: My organization was hacked. The bad guy found our data and deleted it — including our backups! All they left was a note stating, “Send a message to this email address to get your…
Read moreFundamentals of Ransomware: What to Do Before and After Ransomware Strikes
By Raj Sivaraju Amid the pandemic and as more people began working from home via unsecure networks, India saw a 31 percent rise in ransomware attacks.[i] What’s more, according to the Sophos “State of Ransomware 2020” study, of 300…
Read moreDasH into the Future of Cybercrime
By Jaycee Roth It is 6:30AM on a Monday morning, you are startled awake by your phone receiving a call. It is Veronica, a long-time employee complaining that she cannot access any of the data on the shared D: drive – a critical drive to the…
Read moreQ1 2021 Crimeware Report: Post-Mortem Analysis of a Dumpster Fire
Unique insight into the state of ransomware based on data from more than 1,500 incident response and forensics cases.
Read moreSix Decrees of Kevin Baker: Top Tips to Improve Cybersecurity Today
When I work with clients, I mention a good many things they can do to improve their security. Sometimes I’ll advise on an area I think they need to understand about their company. Sometimes I’ll suggest implementing specific security controls. Some…
Read moreElection Security with Jim Jaeger
Kevin Smith speaks with president and co-founder of Arete, Jim Jaeger about the upcoming 2020 U.S. Elections, the risks we face, and answers the biggest question of all: Just how safe and accurate is this election going to be?
Read moreNation State Threats with Jim Jaeger
In this episode, Kevin Smith and Stephen Ramey talk to Arete's chief cyber strategist, Jim Jaeger, about nation state threats, ways to keep your business safe from ransomware, and more!
Read moreThreat Intelligence, with Evgueni Erchov and Stephen Ramey, Part 2
Kevin Smith, Marc Belicher, Evgueni Erchov, and Stephen Ramey to continue their discussion on Threat Intelligence.
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