Company:Emsisoft
| Type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Computer security |
| Founded | 2003 |
| Founder | Christian Mairoll |
| Headquarters | , |
Area served | Worldwide |
| Products | Emsisoft Anti-Virus |
| Website | www |
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 serves as 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, and 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
- ↑ Popper, Nathaniel (2020-02-09). "Ransomware Attacks Grow, Crippling Cities and Businesses" (in en-US). The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/09/technology/ransomware-attacks.html.
- ↑ "Cyber Defense Test Labs Review: Emsisoft Anti-Malware 7.0". Cyber Defense Magazine. 4 February 2013. https://www.cyberdefensemagazine.com/cyber-defense-test-labs-review-emsisoft-anti-malware-7-0/.
- ↑ "NZ firm says its software, used by Ireland's ransomware-hit health service, could save Waikato DHB" (in en-NZ). https://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/nz-firm-says-its-software-used-by-irelands-ransomware-hit-health-service-could-save-waikato-dhb/RZVAMPAZEQ7P2VN6J25R2VYOIA/.
- ↑ "Ransomware gangs' slow decryptors prompt victims to seek alternatives" (in en-us). https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/ransomware-gangs-slow-decryptors-prompt-victims-to-seek-alternatives/.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Chan, Rosalie (19 January 2019). "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. https://www.businessinsider.com/emsisoft-ceo-new-zealand-farm-2019-1.
- ↑ Muldrew, Claudia (23 January 2023). "Emsisoft launches two new programmes for partner revenue growth". New Zealand Reseller News. https://www.reseller.co.nz/article/704928/emsisoft-launches-two-new-programmes-partner-revenue-growth/.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Rubenking, Neil J. (26 August 2021). "Emsisoft Anti-Malware Review". PC Magazine. https://www.pcmag.com/reviews/emsisoft-anti-malware.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 Tidy, Joey (March 2019). "Hated and hunted". BBC. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/resources/idt-sh/hated_and_hunted_the_computer_virus_malware_ransomware_cracker.
- ↑ PIcchi, Aimee (1 October 2019). "Ransomware's mounting toll: Delayed surgeries and school closures". CBS News. https://www.cbsnews.com/news/ransomware-attack-621-hospitals-cities-and-schools-hit-so-far-in-2019/.
- ↑ Craver, Richard (11 August 2022). "Ransomware attack cost Hanesbrands $100 million in sales. It's unclear whether Winston-Salem company paid the ransom.". Winston-Salem Journal. https://journalnow.com/business/local/ransomware-attack-cost-hanesbrands-100-million-in-sales-its-unclear-whether-winston-salem-company-paid/article_864594aa-196f-11ed-8111-433f2a5df7a7.html.
- ↑ Keall, Chris (26 May 2021). "NZ firm says its software, used by Ireland's ransomware-hit health service, could save Waikato DHB". New Zealand Herald. https://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/nz-firm-says-its-software-used-by-irelands-ransomware-hit-health-service-could-save-waikato-dhb/RZVAMPAZEQ7P2VN6J25R2VYOIA/.
- ↑ Vasel, Kathryn (20 February 2019). "A company where everyone works from home. Here's how to make it work". CNN. https://www.cnn.com/2019/02/15/success/remote-work-maintain-culture/index.html.
- ↑ Tidy, Joe (26 July 2019). "The quiet scheme saving thousands from ransomware". BBC. https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-49096991.
- ↑ Nakashima, Ellen; Lerman, Rachel (21 September 2021). "FBI held back ransomware decryption key from businesses to run operation targeting hackers". Washington Post. https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/ransomware-fbi-revil-decryption-key/2021/09/21/4a9417d0-f15f-11eb-a452-4da5fe48582d_story.html.
- ↑ Perlroth, Nicole (24 October 2021). "A Rare Win in the Cat-and-Mouse Game of Ransomware". The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2021/10/24/technology/ransomware-emsisoft-blackmatter.html.
- ↑ Gallagher, Ryan (4 February 2022). "Ransomware Attack in Germany Tied to Colonial Pipeline Hackers". TIME Magazine. https://time.com/6145144/ransomware-germany-colonial-pipeline-hackers/.
- ↑ Pullar-Strecke, Tom (23 May 2021). "NZ firm helps Irish health service recover from ransomware attack". Stuff. https://www.stuff.co.nz/business/125220408/nz-firm-helps-irish-health-service-recover-from-ransomware-attack.
- ↑ Coble, Sarah (February 8, 2021). "Emsisoft Suffers System Breach". Infosecurity Magazine. https://www.infosecurity-magazine.com/news/emsisoft-suffers-system-breach/.
- ↑ Mares, Octavio. "EMSISOFT ANTIVIRUS COMPANY WAS HACKED; CUSTOMER DATA LEAKED". Security Newspaper. https://www.securitynewspaper.com/2021/02/08/emsisoft-antivirus-company-was-hacked-customer-data-leaked/.
- ↑ 20.0 20.1 Williams, Mike (11 December 2019). "Emsisoft Anti-Malware Home review". Tech Radar. https://www.techradar.com/reviews/emsisoft-anti-malware.
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