Resources

WIRED Security will explore current issues and top priorities for security experts to protect the digital and physical future of business. The event gathers the innovators, disruptors and leaders in security for a day of eye-opening and inspirational stories, case studies and workshops that cover new cybersecurity threats, deal with disruptive technologies and build resilience in a world that’s constantly changing.

9:15 a.m. (PDT) — No More Yelling in the Boardroom: How Companies Misunderstood Ransomware Response — Talk by Kurtis Minder, CEO, GroupSense, and moderated Q&A with Alex Chitea, Principal, Technology Group, Orange Silicon Valley

More weight should be placed on consideration of the victims whose business has been ground to a halt in the aftermath of ransomware attacks, according to Kurtis Minder, CEO and co-founder of security firm GroupSense, which helps ransomware victims negotiate with cybercriminals if they can’t obtain a decryption key otherwise.

Kurtis Minder, CEO of the American cyber security company GroupSense, has been busy acting as a ransom negotiator in ransomware cases. It started with a client who needed help, and then as the number of cases increased, he refined his ability to negotiate with the criminal gangs on the other side.

Join Kaufman Rossin CEOLink with our partner GrayRobinson for a one-hour session, Technology Risks & Rewards: 2021 and Beyond, moderated by WLRN's Tom Hudson, host of The Sunshine Economy.

“What bothers me most is how preventable this all is.”

Kurtis Minder, CEO of GroupSense, provided commentary to The Baltimore Sun yesterday about “vaccinating” a company against ransomware. “What bothers me most is how preventable this all is. In fact, like current COVID-19 deaths, it’s at least 99.2% preventable. “Vaccinating” a company against ransomware isn’t expensive or technically daunting — yet companies fail at simple cyber hygiene and put their businesses, our critical infrastructure, and sometimes even people’s lives, at risk,” says Kurtis Minder.

Below are a few highlights from Kurtis’ op-ed.

In this interview Rodrigo Andrade receives Kurtis Minder, CEO of GroupSense and Ransomware Negotiator. They talk about what to do in case of attacks, who are the main targets and how to prevent and stay safe from these crimes.

Ransomware. Does that term ring a bell? Even if you've never heard those words before, trust me, most of us have experienced Ransomware one way or another. If you live on the East Coast, you remember waiting long hours at the gas pump this past May. That's because a hacking group known as DarkSide hacked the Colonial Pipeline. The hackers demanded a ransom for 75 bitcoins which is equivalent to $4.4 million. How did the hackers break into the oil company's system? Easy. Some employees used the same password they used on another account that was previously hacked. And guess what? Colonial Pipeline paid the ransom and the hackers. $4.4. million dollars—gone, just like that.

Question: How can I reduce the chances of my company getting hit by ransomware? Where do I start?

The Ragnar Locker ransomware gang put its victims on notice: If victims call investigators, the FBI or ransomware negotiators for help the punishment will be publishing encrypted files.

Bryce Webster-Jacobsen, Director of Intelligence Operations at digital risk protection / ransomware negotiators GroupSense, was a featured guest on Threatpost’s podcast this week. Bryce spoke to Lisa Vaas about what Ragnar Locker got wrong about ransomware negotiators. Below are a few highlights from the conversation.