NEWS
Sophos launches Rapid Response Service to identify and neutralise active cybersecurity attacks
Lightning-fast incident response minimises attack damage and reduces recovery time. Sophos Rapid Response identifies first use of Buer Malware Dropper to deliver ransomware in new wave of Ryuk attacks. SOUTH AFRICA, 2 November 2020
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ophos, a global leader in nextgeneration cybersecurity, today announced the availability of Sophos Rapid Response, an industry-first, fixed-fee remote incident response service that identifies and neutralises active cybersecurity attacks throughout its entire 45-day term of engagement. Sophos Rapid Response provides organisations with a dedicated 24/7 team of incident responders, threat hunters and threat analysts to quickly stop advanced attacks and remove adversaries from their networks, minimising damage and costs, and reducing recovery time. Sophos Rapid Response has identified the first known use of the Buer malware dropper to deliver ransomware. In new research published today from Sophos Rapid Response and SophosLabs, “Hacks for sale: Inside the Buer Loader Malwareas-a-Service,” Sophos details how Buer 8
SECURITY FOCUS AFRICA OCTOBER 2020
compromises Windows PCs, and enables attackers to deliver a payload. Sophos Rapid Response made the discovery while mitigating a recent Ryuk ransomware attack, which was detected and stopped as part of a wave of Ryuk attacks using new tools, techniques and procedures. In this incident, the relentless attackers used a new variant of Buer in an attempt to launch Ryuk ransomware, before expanding their efforts to mix the use of Buer with other types of loader malware. “When you are hit with an attack, time is of the essence. Every minute between initial compromise and neutralisation counts as adversaries race through the attack lifecycle,” said Joe Levy, chief technology officer at Sophos. “Advanced attacks can quickly halt business operations, and IT managers who have experienced ransomware first hand know this all too well, reporting the need to
spend proportionately more time on incident response and less time on threat prevention than those who haven’t been hit. Sophos Rapid Response disrupts active attacks, eliminating the complex and time consuming process of stopping determined attackers, so organisations can get back to their normal operations faster.” Sophos Rapid Response neutralises a wide range of security incidents, including ransomware, network breaches, hands-on keyboard adversaries, and more. The Sophos Rapid Response team can be onboarded and activated within hours, and the majority of attacks triaged within 48 hours. “This year, devastating ransomware attacks have unfortunately been a gold rush for cybercriminals, and it’s unlike anything the cybersecurity industry has ever experienced. Nearly 85% of the attacks that Sophos Rapid Response has been
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