Digital Nuclear Bomb – Wiper Malware!
Yes, you might have heard ransomware for many years, and now the word is very common, but another emerging and undercover malware is WIPER!
Ransomware – an intention by hackers to make money
Wiper – With a more evil purpose, totally destroy data and just everything.
Wiper malware is a type of malicious software that is designed to erase or destroy data on a target computer or network. It is considered one of the most destructive forms of malware, as it can cause irreparable damage to systems, making them inoperable and leaving behind little to no recoverable data. The primary goal of wiper malware is to cause widespread disruption, rather than steal sensitive information or make money for the attacker.
The Timeline:
Recent attacks and News:
arstechnica.com – Effective, fast, and unrecoverable: Wiper malware is popping up everywhere
Eset – New destructive wiper malware strikes Ukraine
The Hacker News – Ukraine Hit with New Golang-based ‘SwiftSlicer’ Wiper Malware in Latest Cyber Attack
Staceyoniot – Ransomware may be waning, but wiper malware is growing
My personal thoughts
Motive? – what is the motive, and who would need this? is the fundamental question that comes into my mind. You might think hackers have a goal of making money, Why would they wipe and get out?
Most of the bloggers out there say this… But my thought on this is: What if it is a game of Wiper malware to wipe competitors, I mean, what if one company is purposely hiring hackers to disrupt and defame the competition?
Here hackers make money, which is the potential possibility I see more than any other reason!
Next — Lack of Awareness
It is important to note that employees may unintentionally download and spread wiper malware, for example, by falling for a phishing scam or clicking on a malicious link. In these cases, the employee may not be aware that they are spreading the malware and causing harm to the organisation.
The Mindset
A hacker left the below note; by reading this, you understand the thinking behind it. I feel the future fear!
Recovery Plan
In the event of a widespread wiper malware attack, the first step I would recommend is: to contain the spread of the malware and prevent it from infecting other systems. This may involve isolating infected systems, disconnecting from the network, and implementing quarantine measures.
Organizations would need robust backup and disaster recovery plans to recover data, allowing them to restore lost data from a previous backup. However, depending on the severity of the attack and the quality of the backups, some data may still be lost or unrecoverable.
However, all these methods can be time-consuming and resource-intensive and may not be possible in all cases.