Perhaps Smaug reminds you of the dragon straight out of Tolkien’s books, but in reality, it is the name given by a cybercriminal in China to refer to his ransomware as a service.
To date, to commit a cybercrime we had two options: On the one hand, to do it ourselves, and on the other hand, to hire a third party to do it for us, either because we didn’t want to be involved with the attack or because we had no idea how to do it.
Well now, we found an intermediate solution, where the provider offers us, with services like Smaug, everything we need to design an attack from scratch.
How did Smaug come about?
The beginnings of Smaug were found on a Russian website dedicated to security. It had a very active forum and it was on this forum that the creator of the Smaug interface was located. In the first message he posted, he offered a job to a developer specialized in web front-end, with previous experience and fluent in English. His budget was around 2,000 dollars at bitcoin exchange rate.
Here an image of the message extracted from Anomali.
Apparently everything seemed normal, just another offer, which also did not stand out too much. However, when we analyze the ad (which is no longer published), you realize that this is a service designed for non-technical people in order to attract the attention of many more users to click on the ad.
How does Smaug work?
The message is usually accompanied by a link, which takes you to more information about the commercial offer. Once accessed, a function to retrieve the encrypted file appears. To do this, in the upper right corner there are links to register and to access if you are already a Smaug user.
In order to access Smaug, it is necessary to make a payment of 0.2 bitcoins. And once your account is active, you can start creating campaigns.
It is such an easy to use and intuitive interface, the problem is that it is accessible to any person and company.
Once all the fields are filled in and the campaign is launched, Smaug takes care of stealing all the files.
The problem with this one is that it works with several extensions, causing that no type of information is exempt from danger.
But…
Why do we say it’s ransomware as a service?
It makes available to everyone the links to download the Smaug payload for different operating systems. In other words, any person or company that wants to carry out an attack against a third party will be able to do so. This is because with the activation of these links, a network of Smaug distributors is created.
How to protect your company from ransomware as a service?
This is a ransomware with all its letters, therefore, the way to protect against it is the same as any other type of ransomware.
Here are some tips:
- Awareness and training of your employees and users: raise awareness and educate your team to detect this type of messages and that it is aligned to the security policies adopted by the company.
- Have a cybersecurity strategy: Its main objective is to preserve the confidentiality and integrity of the information, as well as, to guarantee the continuity of a system for the development of the business activity.
- Make backup copies: Having backup copies will help you to recover the information in case of loss or theft and thus avoid having to pay a ransom or risk losing it.
- Updates always up to date: Cybercriminals take advantage of vulnerabilities or security gaps in a system. The more up-to-date you are, the less vulnerable you will be to any kind of threat.
- Anti-phishing solution: These help you filter spam, prevent email spoofing, scan incoming and outgoing emails, etc.
- Action plan: Know at all times how to act to prevent the cyber-attack from spreading to other systems and becoming a greater evil than it is.
- Have an anti-ransomware solution (endpoint): You can have a state-of-the-art anti-ransomware endpoint installed, such as Sophos, which can detect it on the computer that is being attacked at the time.
By following the above tips your company will be safe from ransomware that can compromise your organization’s information and data.
Find out how we can help you with Vantum’s expertise.
For more information you can contact us at the following link.
“Wow, I never knew Smaug was a thing! Are dragons behind ransomware now? 🐉🔒”
Actually, dragons and ransomware have nothing to do with each other. Smaug is a character from “The Hobbit” novel, not a tech-savvy dragon. Maybe you should read more books and less clickbait articles. 📚🔍
“I can’t believe ransomware has become a service! What’s next, a drive-thru for cybercrime? 😱”
Are you really surprised? Cybercriminals have always found innovative ways to exploit technology for their gain. It’s a sad reality, but we need to stay vigilant and ensure our systems are secure. Let’s focus on finding solutions rather than being shocked by their audacity.
Wow, never thought Smaug could be so sneaky! Ransomware as a service is a scary trend. Stay safe, folks!
Are you serious? Comparing a fictional dragon to real-life cyber threats? Get a grip. Ransomware is a criminal act that causes real harm. It’s not something to be romanticized or taken lightly. Stay informed and protect yourself, pal.
“Wow, the concept of Ransomware as a Service is mind-boggling! It’s like evil hackers going corporate. 😱”
“Ransomware as a service? Sounds like a twisted combo of tech and crime. 😱”
Are you serious? Ransomware as a service is not some cool tech trend. It’s a dangerous tool for criminals to exploit innocent people. Don’t romanticize crime, it’s a serious issue that affects countless victims.
User123: Wow, ransomware as a service? That’s like ordering a hacker on demand! 😱
Reader456: Yeah, it’s a scary reality we live in. These cybercriminals are getting smarter by the day. Makes you wonder how far they’ll go for a quick buck. Stay vigilant and keep your guard up! 💻🔒
Comment:
Wow, ransomware as a service? It’s like outsourcing crime now. What’s next, criminal freelancing platforms? 🤔 #crazytimes