US House of Representatives Bans Use of Yahoo Mail Service After Ransomware Attack
Ransomware attacks have been relentless in the recent months with new threats evolving to extort money through aggressive methods. The primary techniques that ransomware can spread is through spam email messages, usually as an attachment of some type. In that, email sent to staff at the House of Representatives through the Yahoo Mail service contained ransomware threats that have forced the House to ban usage of Yahoo Mail.
The spread of ransomware has reached new heights and is justifiably taking its precedence as one of the most aggressive types of malware of our time. Recent ransomware threats are utilizing file encryption to hold infected PCs for ransom and sometimes charging Bitcoin amounts that equate to well over $1,000 in some situations.
Ransomware threats in the current state are aggressive malware that ends up locking up a computer through encrypting several files on its hard drive. The threats later give computer users an option to pay a ransom fee in Bitcoin that claims to offer a decryption key that will supposedly decrypt and restore the encrypted files. In some instances, ransomware threats will offer several email addresses or websites to visit for paying or negotiating a fee to decrypt the files. Fundamentally, ransomware is a nearly undefeatable threat that could require some users restore their entire hard drive if they are unsuccessful with decrypting their files.
When it comes to the US government getting hit with malware, it's never taken lightly. In the latest event to take place on the side of the House of Representatives, usage of Yahoo Mail services has resulted in ransomware attacks where at least one user had their computer infected with ransomware. The findings of such taking place come from anonymous sources at Gizmodo where they further explained that IT staff at the House of Representatives was able to isolate the ransomware before it was allowed to spread.
The email message sent through Yahoo Mail was one that contained a malicious JavaScript inside of a ZIP file attachment. The method used is very common in the spread of recent ransomware threats. As we know all-too-well, ransomware has been destructive to many organizations, including hospitals, churches, courthouses, schools, and even police centers. The reach of recent crypto-ransomware threats is vast, and now the US government is getting their own taste.
After the attack from ransomware on one system at the House of Representatives, IT staff decided to ban usage of Yahoo Mail services, in addition to Google App Engine apps as to curtail the spread of ransomware. The reasons for banning usage of certain mail services is that they fail to provide the necessary features to block malicious messages or spam that contain malicious attachments. The commonality in that is that individuals who contract ransomware threats often have the same issue where their email client or service fails to filter out spam emails that may contain malicious attachments that could install ransomware threats.