Malware-Infected Cloud Applications Contain Ransomware

Netskope the provider of cloud security in its latest research shows that nearly 44 percent of malicious software detected within cloud applications delivered ransom software, whilst nearly 56 percent of files contaminated with malicious software within cloud applications were freely available for anyone to see.

The research inside the most recent Netskope Cloud Report finds that enterprises have their cloud applications constantly increasing in number; the average being 824; a rise from 777 in Q2, 2016. Moreover, Microsoft keeps on superseding Google in its cloud application popularity even as this popularity is the highest. Also, Microsoft's productivity applications took over Facebook from No.1 rank, while OneDrive, Outlook and Office 365 beat their rivals with respect to session volume.

Assaults on cloud apps are at first frequently executed via spam messages and phishing electronic mails. It's fast when contaminated and encrypted documents proliferate onto other end-users via the cloud application sync as also the documents have similar functionality exuded within what's called "fan-out" effect.

Netskope further states within another recent report that ransomware was uncovered within over 90% of total enterprises. By ransomware it means a kind of malicious software that encrypts the entire storage of data-files on certain PC alternatively a network following which it demands a ransom payment from the victim in the Bitcoin digital currency so the decryption key can be released.

Netskope continues that some enterprises encountered ransomware several times. Worse still, out of them those enterprises which were ready to pay the ransom amounts at times didn't even receive back their locked files. As said earlier, 55.9% of contaminated files tainted with different malicious programs were free for anybody to access. Itproportal.com posted this, September 8, 2016.

And as the contaminated files within cloud environments get shared publicly, the effect of the included malware gets amplified. Also, the sharing of files endangers end-users with getting exposed to ransomware, a most undesirable thing that can happen.

Thus, there's an inherent danger prevalent in cloud infrastructures, and cyber-criminals take advantage of this. One can just hope there'll be a better future for cloud users and Netskope's next report won't be so worrying.

» SPAMfighter News - 9/15/2016