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Emsisoft

Emsisoft Ltd. (est. 2003) is a New Zealand-based anti-virus software distributed company.[1][2] They are notable for decrypting ransomware attacks[3] to restore data.[4]

History

Emsisoft is an anti-malware and cybersecurity software and consulting company founded in Austria in 2003 by Christian Mairoll.[5][6] The company makes anti-malware software and decryption tools used by companies and individuals to help them recover computer files encrypted in ransomware attacks.[7][8] It also tracks and generates studies on ransomware attacks.[9][10]

Mairoll, who is CEO, relocated to rural New Zealand in 2014,[11] moving Emsisoft’s headquarters to the country, while its employees across Europe, Asia and the United States remained remote.[12][5]

In 2019, Emsisoft donated decryption tools to Europol's No More Ransom project.[13] The company’s decryption tools were also used to help resolve the Kaseya VSA ransomware attack,[14] DarkSide and BlackMatter ransomware attacks against dozens of companies across the U.S., Europe and Britain in 2021.[15][16]

Ireland’s National Cyber Security Centre used Emsisoft’s decryption tools in May 2021 to help the country's health service department recover from a ransomware attack.[17]

In early 2021, Emsisoft suffered a system data breach due to a configuration error, leading to the release of a database containing log records, including email addresses, generated by Emsisoft, that were accessed by at least one unauthorized individual.[18] After detecting the attack, Emsisoft implemented security mechanisms, including disconnecting the compromised system and investigated the incident using forensic analysis. Customers were notified and Emsisoft issued a public apology for the incident.[19]

Technology

Emsisoft's anti-malware technology is called Emsisoft Anti-Malware and has three versions: Anti-Malware Home, Business Security and Enterprise Security.[7][8][20] The company also makes an extension for the web browsers Google Chrome, Firefox and Microsoft Edge that enables blocking access to malicious and phishing websites.[20]

References

  1. Nathaniel Popper. Ransomware Attacks Grow, Crippling Cities and Businesses The New York Times, 2020-02-09, retrieved 2021-06-01^
  2. Cyber Defense Test Labs Review: Emsisoft Anti-Malware 7.0 Cyber Defense Magazine, 4 February 2013^
  3. NZ firm says its software, used by Ireland's ransomware-hit health service, could save Waikato DHB The New Zealand Herald, retrieved 2021-06-01^
  4. Ransomware gangs' slow decryptors prompt victims to seek alternatives BleepingComputer, retrieved 2021-06-01^
  5. Rosalie Chan. This is what a workday looks like for a CEO who runs his entire 40-employee tech company from a farm in New Zealand Business Insider, 19 January 2019, retrieved 8 August 2022^
  6. Claudia Muldrew. Emsisoft launches two new programmes for partner revenue growth New Zealand Reseller News, 23 January 2023, retrieved 3 February 2023^
  7. Neil J. Rubenking. Emsisoft Anti-Malware Review PC Magazine, 26 August 2021, retrieved 16 August 2022^
  8. Joey Tidy. Hated and hunted BBC, March 2019, retrieved 5 August 2022^
  9. Aimee PIcchi. Ransomware's mounting toll: Delayed surgeries and school closures CBS News, 1 October 2019, retrieved 5 August 2022^
  10. Richard Craver. Ransomware attack cost Hanesbrands $100 million in sales. It's unclear whether Winston-Salem company paid the ransom. Winston-Salem Journal, 11 August 2022, retrieved 15 August 2022^
  11. Chris Keall. NZ firm says its software, used by Ireland's ransomware-hit health service, could save Waikato DHB New Zealand Herald, 26 May 2021, retrieved 8 August 2022^
  12. Kathryn Vasel. A company where everyone works from home. Here's how to make it work 20 February 2019, retrieved 8 August 2022^
  13. Joe Tidy. The quiet scheme saving thousands from ransomware BBC, 26 July 2019, retrieved 5 August 2022^
  14. Ellen Nakashima, Rachel Lerman. FBI held back ransomware decryption key from businesses to run operation targeting hackers Washington Post, 21 September 2021, retrieved 8 August 2022^
  15. Nicole Perlroth. A Rare Win in the Cat-and-Mouse Game of Ransomware The New York Times, 24 October 2021, retrieved 5 August 2022^
  16. Ryan Gallagher. Ransomware Attack in Germany Tied to Colonial Pipeline Hackers TIME Magazine, 4 February 2022, retrieved 5 August 2022^
  17. Tom Pullar-Strecke. NZ firm helps Irish health service recover from ransomware attack Stuff, 23 May 2021, retrieved 5 August 2022^
  18. Sarah Coble. Emsisoft Suffers System Breach Infosecurity Magazine, February 8, 2021^
  19. Octavio Mares. EMSISOFT ANTIVIRUS COMPANY WAS HACKED; CUSTOMER DATA LEAKED Security Newspaper^
  20. Mike Williams. Emsisoft Anti-Malware Home review Tech Radar, 11 December 2019, retrieved 16 August 2022^