Currently, cyber criminals in Germany are making conspicuous use of Linux ransomware to attack network attached storage (NAS) devices. The threat report of January 2022 by the Bochum IT security experts shows that QNAPCrypt, QLocker and Deadbolt are particularly widespread. Companies and private users alike who use such devices for backups are affected. The ransomware not only encrypts the data, but also exfiltrates it. In this way, cyber criminals put their victims doubly under pressure. If they do not pay the required ransom, the attackers publish the data. Since a large part of the ransomware gets through security holes in the NAS devices’ software, users should immediately install updates and protect their devices.
The number of cyber attacks has only increased in the short term as a result of the war in Ukraine. For example, the G DATA threat report for February 2022 shows an increase of more than 27 percent in the number of averted attack attempts compared to January. In April, however, the number of averted attacks dropped significantly, by more than 18 percent compared to March. By the middle of the year, the number of averted attacks had returned to normal and was back at the level it was before the war in Ukraine began.