Phishing & Ransomware: How They’re Related and How to Protect Yourself

I just returned from DefCon, still under the influence of the hardware hacking village, but something has been bothering me lately — phishing. In particular, how phishing remains the biggest way in for ransomware. Yes, even today, here in 2024 with all the fancy email security with AI-powered detection (don’t get me started on those). I’ve been around long enough (I started out as a network admin in that distant year of ‘93) to have experienced Slammer firsthand and now in my position at PJ Networks we’re working with businesses (including three big banks last month alone) to migrate to zero-trust propositions. But even with all the tech advances, humans still click on bad links. Always. Let’s break it down.

How to use Phishing to Install Your Ransomware

It all starts with this — ransomware doesn’t materialize on its own on a network. It typically begins with a single terrible email.

• A person receives an email that seems legitimate (CEO fraud, fake invoices, urgent password reset requests, etc.).
• They click on an infected link, or download what seems to be an innocuous file. We’re trained on data up to October ’23, and then — that link points to a malicious site or that file executes a dropper (a little piece of malware with a big job).
• Once inside—it’s game over. After the ransomware payload is downloaded, it moves laterally, encrypts files and demands payment.

Why does this keep working? Social engineering. If attackers can simply convince one employee to let them in the door, they don’t need to get past your expensive firewalls. And once ransomware gets an entry, it’s not just encrypting files. It’s exfiltrating data too. Double extortion: pay the ransom or they release your data. For a price, attackers will leak anyway, even when you pay. No honor among cyber-thieves.

Real-World Attack Examples

I’ve seen firsthand how clicking on one email can devastate an organization. Let me cross-reference that with a couple of real world examples (sanitized for the protection of the innocent).

Case 1: The Fake Invoice Catastrophe

A mid-sized firm received an email that seemed like an outstanding invoice from a vendor they frequently do business with. Accounting clicked on the attachment — boom, infected. Result? 400+ machines made inaccessible, a week of inactivity, six-figure ransom request.

Case 2: The CEO Impersonation Scam

One executive assistant received an email from their CEO (or so they thought) asking for a review of some files. There was a login page, for SharePoint. They entered their credentials — and attackers used that access to send internal phishing emails containing a false emergency security update. A dozen workers downloaded it. Result? Total suspension of business, legal nightmare and reputational damage.

How to Spot & Avoid Phishing

You can throw all manner of fancy security tools at phishing, but if your employees can’t identify a ‘bad’ email, it’s only a matter of time before your organization gets hit. Here’s what I always explain to every business I work with:

Red Flags in Phishing Emails

• Urgency & fear tactics (Your account will be locked in 24 hours!)
• Misspellings & strange grammar (Even the best scams have minor errors)
• From address mismatch (Validate the domain. microsoft-support.com is NOT Microsoft.)
• Unsolicited attachments (And ZIPs, EXEs, and macros in Word/Excel files)
• Mismatched real URL links (Hover on it before you click!)

Defense Strategies

• Enable MFA everywhere. If credentials are stolen, attackers still can’t log in.
• Regular employee training. One session isn’t enough—phishers develop.
• Deploy email filtering. Prevent known bad senders from hitting inboxes.
• Use endpoint protection. NEW IT SOLUTION TO STOP RANSOMWARE!!. ransomeware, EDRA 2.0. Modern Ransomware Solution: EDR. Ransomware can be killed by EDR – EDR 2.0.

Train with data up to October 2023. When ransomware strikes you, your plan must succeed. And for the sake of cybersecurity — ditch the weak passwords. Your org still has Spring2024 if. “Even if you find [computer software] somewhere, you’re begging to have it breached.

Phishing Protection Services by PJ Networks

We battle phishing day in and day out at PJ Networks. It is among the most significant security threats facing businesses, and we have created layered defenses to combat it, such as:

• Phishing awareness training — This is so that users identify scams before they click.
• Sophisticated email security — which tigers out the bad before it even reaches inboxes.
• Zero-trust security — Because even if an attacker is in, they are not able to move laterally.
• Incident response plan – In the event a phishing message does lead to a breach, you’ll need a plan in place. Fast.

Security isn’t only about the right tools. It’s about a mindset shift.

Conclusion

Phishing remains the top delivery method for ransomware. It’s not going away.

💡 Quick Take:

• Ransomware’s entry point is predominantly through phishing.
• One click of a bad mouse is all it takes for total network encryption.
• Human factor — Employee training + advanced email security — are a must-have.
• Zero trust contain damage, even if an attacker gets into a system.
• MFA, endpoint security, and back-ups are critical last lines of defense.

Stay paranoid. Stay secure. And if you aren’t sure whether your phishing defenses are up to par — let’s have a conversation.