There is a new and very nasty strain of ransomware that is wreaking havoc online. The latest ransomware that appeared in December 2018 is called Phobos. So far we know that the new threat is grim but the details as of now are still a bit sketchy.
CoveWare researchers have been sifting and dissecting the code and what they have got so far is that Phobos share some similarities with a certain strain of ransomware called Dharma, which has caused nothing but problems in businesses all over the globe throughout the years.
However, you cannot refer to it as a Dharma clone either. Phobos is made of some components found in the CrySis ransomware. Although CrySis is in fact a relative of the Dharma strain, Phobos
Whatever it is, it’s still the same. Phobos is bad news for commercial firms. Any company that finds their system infected with this malware will have nothing but encrypted files, with extensions converted to .phobos. They will also get popup messages telling them that if they want to get their files back, they would have to pay in Bitcoin.
Dharma has been acclaimed as among the most damaging and threatening strain of ransomware in 2018. This simply means Phobos has to be taken very seriously.
The best way to protect your system from these types of attacks is vigilance. Ransomware commonly find its way into corporate systems because of a lack of awareness among the staff. Apart from awareness and education, IT managers should also take precautionary measures and secure their RDP ports. They should also make sure that every detail that is critical to your company are regularly backed up.
Finally, it is important that your IT staff regularly tests all the backups to make sure that your system is fully functional and is operating as fast as it could. Although none of the above will immediately stop any attack, if done collectively, they will help minimize the negative effect of an online attack against your firm.
