Emsisoft
TypePrivate
IndustryComputer security
Founded2003
FounderChristian Mairoll
Headquarters
Nelson
,
New Zealand
Area served
Worldwide
ProductsEmsisoft Anti-Virus
Websitewww.emsisoft.com

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

  1. ↑ Popper, Nathaniel (9 February 2020). "Ransomware Attacks Grow, Crippling Cities and Businesses". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 1 June 2021.
  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". NZ Herald. Retrieved 1 June 2021.
  4. ↑ "Ransomware gangs' slow decryptors prompt victims to seek alternatives". BleepingComputer. Retrieved 1 June 2021.
  5. 1 2 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. Retrieved 8 August 2022.
  6. ↑ Muldrew, Claudia (23 January 2023). "Emsisoft launches two new programmes for partner revenue growth". New Zealand Reseller News. Retrieved 3 February 2023.
  7. 1 2 Rubenking, Neil J. (26 August 2021). "Emsisoft Anti-Malware Review". PC Magazine. Retrieved 16 August 2022.
  8. 1 2 Tidy, Joey (March 2019). "Hated and hunted". BBC. Retrieved 5 August 2022.
  9. ↑ PIcchi, Aimee (1 October 2019). "Ransomware's mounting toll: Delayed surgeries and school closures". CBS News. Retrieved 5 August 2022.
  10. ↑ 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. Retrieved 15 August 2022.
  11. ↑ 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. Retrieved 8 August 2022.
  12. ↑ Vasel, Kathryn (20 February 2019). "A company where everyone works from home. Here's how to make it work". CNN. Retrieved 8 August 2022.
  13. ↑ Tidy, Joe (26 July 2019). "The quiet scheme saving thousands from ransomware". BBC. Retrieved 5 August 2022.
  14. ↑ Nakashima, Ellen; Lerman, Rachel (21 September 2021). "FBI held back ransomware decryption key from businesses to run operation targeting hackers". Washington Post. Retrieved 8 August 2022.
  15. ↑ Perlroth, Nicole (24 October 2021). "A Rare Win in the Cat-and-Mouse Game of Ransomware". The New York Times. Retrieved 5 August 2022.
  16. ↑ Gallagher, Ryan (4 February 2022). "Ransomware Attack in Germany Tied to Colonial Pipeline Hackers". TIME Magazine. Retrieved 5 August 2022.
  17. ↑ Pullar-Strecke, Tom (23 May 2021). "NZ firm helps Irish health service recover from ransomware attack". Stuff. Retrieved 5 August 2022.
  18. ↑ Coble, Sarah (8 February 2021). "Emsisoft Suffers System Breach". Infosecurity Magazine.
  19. ↑ Mares, Octavio. "EMSISOFT ANTIVIRUS COMPANY WAS HACKED; CUSTOMER DATA LEAKED". Security Newspaper.
  20. 1 2 Williams, Mike (11 December 2019). "Emsisoft Anti-Malware Home review". Tech Radar. Retrieved 16 August 2022.
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