Your NAS Devices are under Threat From Ransomware, Say Researchers

• The number of ransomware attacks has shot up, with such incidents being reported quite often, especially in sectors such as healthcare and government agencies.
• Now, security experts are saying that ransomware strains are targeting NAS and backup storage devices.

Ransomware is a type of malware that encrypts the files or drives on infected systems and leaves a ransom note to decrypt the data.

NAS devices under threat from ransomware

Network Attached Storage (NAS) devices are used for storage and data backup purposes. These devices are connected to a network and used in both enterprise and home environments.

• Researchers from Kaspersky say that these devices are directly under threat from the ransomware strains.
• These devices are connected on a network and the authenticated can be bypassed if there are vulnerabilities in the system.
• It is said that the number of ransomware strains that target such devices has increased as compared to 2018.

How the attack works?

The attackers will usually start by scanning for vulnerable NAS devices that are accessible on the internet. Unpatched vulnerabilities are exploited for deploying the malware and encrypting the data available.

“Previously, encryption ransomware targeting NAS was hardly evident in the wild, and this year alone we have already detected a number of new ransomware families focused solely on NAS. This trend is unlikely to fade, as this attack vector proves to be very profitable for the attackers, especially due to the users being completely unprepared for them as they consider this technology highly reliable,” said Fedor Sinitsyn, security researcher at Kaspersky.

What can you do to stay safe?

Apart from the basics such as backing up NAS storage to remote locations and not using the default credentials, make sure you stay updated with the latest threats and ransomware trends in cyberspace.