Nigerians Affected as FBI Issues Gmail Alert Over Growing Medusa Ransomware Attack Threats

• The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has alerted of strange ransomware attacks known as Medusa
• The bureau revealed in its industry report that the ransomware targets critical infrastructure through ghost attackers
• It advised Gmail, Outlook, and VPN users to enable a strong two-factor authentication to reduce the threat of attacks

Legit.ng’s Pascal Oparada has reported on tech, energy, stocks, investment and the economy for over a decade.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has warned of strange ransomware attack threats delivered by the US Postal Service, alongside a dangerous ransomware campaign from Ghost attackers, including some of the most complex threats against Gmail users ever.

After advising users to activate two-factor authentication to curtail such attacks, a new FBI industry alert has revealed the ongoing attacks by the Medusa ransomware gang routines.

FBI releases remedies

FBI asked users to enable 2FA for webmail services such as Gmail, Outlook and VPNs.

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According to Forbes, a highly dangerous ransomware, Medusa, which has impacted about 300 victims from critical infrastructure since 2021, is known to use social engineering and anticipated software vulnerability exploitation during attacks.

Investigations by the FBI show that intelligence agencies have compiled a list of tactics, techniques, procedures, compromise indicators, and detection methods associated with threat actors.

In conjunction with the US Cybersecurity and Infastratructure Security Agency, the FBI issued a joint cybersecurity advisory on March 12, against the looming attacks by the Medusa ransomware group.

In its AA25-07IA alert, the FBI explained the technicalities of the Medusa operations.

The bureau said it is essential that all cyber-fighters read the report.

Recommended actions by FBI

• Require two-factor authentication for all webmail such as Gmail, Outlook and others, along with virtual private networks and any accounts that can access critical systems.
• Require all accounts with password logins to use long passwords and consider not requiring frequently recurring password changes, as these can weaken security.
• Retain multiple copies of sensitive or proprietary data and servers in a physically separate, segmented, and secure location.
• Keep all operating systems, software, and firmware up to date. Prioritize patching known exploited vulnerabilities in internet-facing systems.
• Identify, detect, and investigate abnormal activity and potential traversal of the indicated ransomware with a networking monitoring tool.
• Monitor for unauthorized scanning and access attempts.
• Filter network traffic by preventing unknown or untrusted origins from accessing remote services on internal systems.
• Audit user accounts with administrative privileges and configure access controls according to the principle of least privilege.
• Disable command-line and scripting activities and permissions.
• Disable unused ports. Despite FBI And CISA Advice, The Hackers Must Be Laughing

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Scammers hack Nigerian bank

Legit.ng earlier reported that the Federal High Court in Abuja has ordered an additional 30-day freezing of 818 bank accounts suspected of being involved in the alleged proceeds of crime from an N10 billion cyberattack on Hope Payment Service Bank.

The order, which the Inspector General of Police authorises, was granted by the court presided over by Justice James Omotosho on Monday, October 15, 2024. The court relied on a motion ex parte filed by the police.

According to the motion marked FHC/ABJ/CS/1358/2024, filed against James Akagwu Isaac, Akwubo Gosent, and others, including several banks, the IGP’s legal team said that the accounts via which the defendants were alleged to have received the crime proceeds were under investigation, hence the freeze.

Source: Legit.ng