This morning I got a very unusual email from Epik Hosting. Unusual because I have never reached out to or dealt with them on any level in the past. I’ve only written about them. You might recall that Epik have a reputation for being the host of choice for right wing and new-nazi types in the United States. And they were said to be currently trying to help right wing social media site Parler get back on line after being Thanos snapped off the Internet by Amazon Web Services, as well as Apple, and Google for allowing the violence at the Capitol to be planned on their site. In any case, the email directed me towards a press release that was online. And in that press release, the key item is this:
Read a certain way, it sounds like Epik isn’t actively involved in this effort to bring Parler back from the dead.
The next part of the statement reads like they are trying to distance themselves from their reputation.
Which is interesting as to the best of my knowledge their reputation is as follows:
- The domain name for the Proud Boys former websites were hosted at EPIK.
- They once hosted 8chan’s domain name, now known as 8kun, but eventually dumped the site following its connection to a 2019 mass shooting in El Paso, Texas.
- Neo-Nazi site The Daily Stormer is apparently a customer of theirs.
- Conspiracy theory website Infowars was once a customer of theirs.
- EPIK got into a fight with PayPal over what was considered to be money laundering.
- EPIK doesn’t try to filter objectionable content.
But maybe the cynic in me is making an appearance.
The rest of this statement reads like a call for free speech and civil discourse. Here’s an example:
So, if I take this whole statement I read it as follows:
- Epik isn’t exactly helping Parler to get back online, but they support Parler
- Epik supports free speech and Parler is part of that.
Again, maybe I am getting cynical in my old age, but I look at this statement and I really feel that there’s a fair amount of spin and support of Parler here. Which is interesting because Epik is allegedly not helping them. Perhaps I am reading this wrong. But given the track record that Epik apparently has, looking at this statement with some degree of suspicion seems to be warranted. At least in my view.
Guest Post: Ransomware Accounts For 81% Of All Financially Motivated Cyberattacks In 2020 Says Atlas VPN
Posted in Commentary with tags Atlas VPN on January 21, 2021 by itnerdRansomware is a type of malicious malware used by cybercriminals to encrypt sensitive information that can be regained if a ransom is paid. Last year’s data reveals that this type of attack is one of the cybercriminals’ favorite methods.
The Atlas VPN team found that ransomware made up a whopping 81% of all financially motivated cyberattacks in 2020. The remaining 19% include point-of-sale intrusions, e-commerce attacks, business email compromise, and cryptocurrency mining.
As ransomware technology has developed over the last thirty years since its creation in 1989, its threat levels have grown too. In 2020, ransomware attacks caused greater financial damage per breach than average malicious attacks.
An average malicious attack cost victims $4.27 million per assault. In the meantime, ransomware attacks cost 4% more — $4.44 million per breach.
The top 5 biggest ransomware attack payouts of 2020
The year 2020 saw a fair share of ransomware attacks that affected companies and organizations worldwide.
One of the most significant ransomware attacks in 2020 was the Garmin breach. Garmin, an American multinational technology company, is believed to have paid $10 million to its hackers. Garmin was targeted by WastedLocker, ransomware credited to a Russia-based cybercriminal group called Evil Corp.
The next biggest ransom payout to cybercriminals in 2020 belongs to a business travel management company CWT Global. Cybercriminals behind the attack used Ragnar Locker and collected a payment of $4.5 million.
Travelex, a British foreign exchange firm, rounds out the top three companies in this list. The Sodinokibi gang, also known as REvil, is said to be responsible for the attack. Travelex paid the criminal group $2.3 million.
Other organizations that paid a significant ransom to cybercriminals last year include the University of California San Francisco ($1.14 million), as well as Communications and Power Industries ($0.5 million).
Rachel Welch, COO of Atlas VPN, shares her thoughts on ransomware attack trends:
“It is hard to predict whether this year’s ransomware attack levels will surpass the ones of 2020. However, as global companies continue to fall into the traps of ransomware attacks, it is safe to say they are not going anywhere.”
To read the full article, head over to: https://atlasvpn.com/blog/ransomware-accounts-for-81-of-all-financially-motivated-cyberattacks-in-2020
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