The article "The Ransomware Epidemic: Recent Cybersecurity Incidents Demystified" by Sheetal Temara provides a comprehensive review of recent ransomware attacks, analyzing key aspects such as targeted organizations, attack vectors, threat actors, propagation mechanisms, and business impacts. The study highlights the evolving nature of ransomware, including different types like screen-locking, data file-encrypting, and double-extortion ransomware. It also examines the six stages of a ransomware attack: reconnaissance, distribution/delivery, installation/infection, communication, encryption, and extortion/payment. The literature review covers various incidents, including the attack on the D.C. Metropolitan Police Department by Babuk, the impact on Queensland University of Technology, and the disruption at Royal Mail. The article discusses the motivations behind ransomware attacks, such as financial gain and geopolitical objectives, and the role of digital currencies in maintaining anonymity. The methodology section outlines the systematic approach used to analyze the roots of ransomware attacks and identify contributing factors, such as inadequate cybersecurity education, weak email filtering, and the use of unpatched software. The results section details recent ransomware attack vectors and exploits, including phishing, credential stuffing, and exploiting known vulnerabilities. The discussion section emphasizes the importance of preventive measures, such as endpoint detection and response, secure management of privileged credentials, multi-factor authentication, and robust backup strategies. The No More Ransom (NMR) project is highlighted as a valuable initiative providing free decryption tools and resources to victims. The conclusions stress the need for organizations to implement comprehensive cybersecurity measures to mitigate the risks posed by ransomware, emphasizing the importance of user education, robust patching, and effective password management. The article also acknowledges the challenges in reviewing the subject and calls for improvements in classification, datasets, and features.The article "The Ransomware Epidemic: Recent Cybersecurity Incidents Demystified" by Sheetal Temara provides a comprehensive review of recent ransomware attacks, analyzing key aspects such as targeted organizations, attack vectors, threat actors, propagation mechanisms, and business impacts. The study highlights the evolving nature of ransomware, including different types like screen-locking, data file-encrypting, and double-extortion ransomware. It also examines the six stages of a ransomware attack: reconnaissance, distribution/delivery, installation/infection, communication, encryption, and extortion/payment. The literature review covers various incidents, including the attack on the D.C. Metropolitan Police Department by Babuk, the impact on Queensland University of Technology, and the disruption at Royal Mail. The article discusses the motivations behind ransomware attacks, such as financial gain and geopolitical objectives, and the role of digital currencies in maintaining anonymity. The methodology section outlines the systematic approach used to analyze the roots of ransomware attacks and identify contributing factors, such as inadequate cybersecurity education, weak email filtering, and the use of unpatched software. The results section details recent ransomware attack vectors and exploits, including phishing, credential stuffing, and exploiting known vulnerabilities. The discussion section emphasizes the importance of preventive measures, such as endpoint detection and response, secure management of privileged credentials, multi-factor authentication, and robust backup strategies. The No More Ransom (NMR) project is highlighted as a valuable initiative providing free decryption tools and resources to victims. The conclusions stress the need for organizations to implement comprehensive cybersecurity measures to mitigate the risks posed by ransomware, emphasizing the importance of user education, robust patching, and effective password management. The article also acknowledges the challenges in reviewing the subject and calls for improvements in classification, datasets, and features.