Amboy Bank News

Law Enforcement Stings Impacting Hacker Earnings

The U.S. Justice Department announced a victory in their latest attempts to crack down on overseas ransomware groups that target U.S. companies’ computers by demanding millions of dollars to unlock the systems they have disrupted. After seizing the computer infrastructure used by a notorious ransomware gang that extorted over $100 million from hospitals, schools and other victims worldwide, justice officials have urged companies, and individuals, not to pay off the criminals as it will only encourage ongoing criminal activity.

Though ransomware attacks remain an ongoing challenge, there are promising signs that the efforts by law enforcement to combat these crimes are making an impact into hacker earnings. According to reported data from a cyptocurrency tracking firm, ransomware revenue in 2022 fell over 40% from the previous year.

There are preventative ways to avoid becoming the target of fraudulent activity and unknowingly downloading ransomware onto your device, including:

• Avoid pop up links that claim to be providing software updates or driver downloads (but make sure to stay up-to-date with the latest versions of legitimate system updates)
• Remain wary of any suspicious looking emails and links
• Regularly backup your data to the cloud or an external source
• Install antivirus software

 
Please continue to check our Security Center for updates and tips, and if you experience any security related activity with any of your Amboy Bank accounts, please contact us immediately at 877-222-6269 or reportfraud@amboybank.com.