Exploit Kits and Ransomware in State & Local Governments & Education

Criminal groups use exploit kits as one of the main distribution methods to infect Windows hosts with malware. Exploit kits are designed to work behind the scenes while you are browsing the web. During the past year, the most common malware distributed by exploit kits has been ransomware. In most cases, a potential victim visits a compromised website as the first step in an infection chain. Behind the scenes, the victim is redirected to an exploit kit. The exploit kit gathers information about the victim's system, determines the appropriate exploit, and infects any vulnerable hosts. In this presentation, Brad Duncan reviews fundamental concepts of exploit kit activity for the SLED vertical and demonstrates how ransomware infections happen through this method. Brad also discusses preventative measures people and organizations can take to combat this very real threat.