Introduction
Egregor is a group of cybercriminals who specialize in ransomware attacks. It started in 2020 when it targeted several organizations (Tabak, 2021). Ransomware locks organization data in a way that is inaccessible and demands payment to unlock the data. Ransom payment depends on the amount of data encrypted and the level of valuability of the locked data. The more valuable the data is, the higher the payment amount. Ransomware attackers reformed their ransomware tactics and introduced double extortion ransomware attacks. If the victims fail to make payments and attempt to decrypt the data, the attackers may try to release the stolen information. This paper discusses various mechanisms of egregor attacks and associated control exploits and stipulates different ways of mitigating ransomware attacks.
Egregor Access Control Mechanism
Egregor attackers deploy various tactics to gain access to the organization’s system. These tactics include phishing emails, Virtual private networks (VPN), and stolen information to gain access to the Remote Desktop Protocol (Kost, 2021). After accessing it, they install the remote desktop protocol and the software that decrypts the software. Pen testing tools like cobalt strike, Qbot, and advanced IP scanners are used to move laterally to the network systems, increase the privileges, and ensure the endurance of the mechanism so as to extract and encrypt data. In a double extortion attack scenario, they steal and encrypt the most important data to ask for more money if the victims want to restore their data.
Access Control-Related Exploits
Access control-associated exploits include gaining access to the network without authorized permission. Attackers can access the network system when an organization uses weak passwords, lacks protection from social engineering, and previously hacked accounts. Another way to gain access is through malicious insiders. Insider threats can be from employees or anyone with authorized access to the network systems. It is difficult to identify insider threats because they are mostly trusted people who are expected not to harm the systems. Another way is through a middleman attack; it is a situation where the attackers impede traffic between the organization’s system and the external sources of the systems. When the communication systems are not secured, the attackers always find their way to hijack the data being transferred. After gaining access to the network, hackers may escalate their privileges to gain even more authority. Attackers can increase their privileges in two ways: vertically, by acquiring access to higher levels of privilege inside the same system, or horizontally, by gaining access to surrounding systems.
Mitigation Strategies
One way of avoiding cyber threats is through segregating the network systems depending on security needs. Dividing a network restricts attackers to only one area, requiring specific techniques to access other network areas (Brumfield, 2020). Virtual local area networks and subnets of similar networks are suitable because they act like separate networks. Regulation of gaining access to the internet through a proxy server. Users should only gain access to the network systems if they are supervised. All requests for gaining control should pass through the proxy server to supervise the user’s actions. Another strategy is ensuring the devices are put correctly in the right place. Firewalls should be placed at the junction of all network areas but not at the edge. Strategic devices like load balancers should only be placed within the Demilitarized Zone(DMZ); otherwise, network security will not safeguard them.
Conclusion
In summary, cyber threats are becoming a serious issue globally. Organizations are required to come up with strategies to protect their network systems from malicious attacks. Organizations should avoid using weak passwords to protect their devices and ensure that all systems are protected from social engineering. Organizations should segregate their networks and install proxy servers to protect their network systems from egregor attacks.
References
Brumfield, C. (2024, January 17). Egregor ransomware group explained: And how to defend against it. CSO Online. https://www.csoonline.com/article/570215/egregor-ransomware-group-explained-and-how-to-defend-against-it.html
Kost, E. (2021, September 24). What is Egregor ransomware? One of the worst threats of 2020. UpGuard. https://www.upguard.com/blog/what-is-egregor-ransomware
Tabak, N. (2021, January 29). Ransomware attack targets major US logistics firm DSC: Chicago-area firm says incident brought minimal disruption. Freight Waves. https://www.freightwaves.com/news/ransomware-attack-targets-major-us-logistics-firm-dsc
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