No one likes to be told that their baby is ugly. Magnify that sentiment with a multi-billion dollar corporation with a reputation at stake.

THIS is the challenge that ethical hackers face when they are able to breach environments and report it to these businesses. Are they received well? Sometimes yes, and mostly, no. No one is taking anything or charging for the services. It's a hobby for most of these researchers and the thrill of finding vulnerabilities is often a reward in itself.

Case in point: We had an awesome opportunity to speak with Higinio "W0rmer" Ochoa and two of his collaborators, Robert "Rej_ex" Willis and "Wabafet," all members of the research collective, "Sakura Samurai." Sakura Samurai has gained a reputation for successfully breaching multiple high-profile government targets. Most recently, we discuss the story of their involvement with John Deere, as highlighted in the Forbes article by contributer Paul F. Roberts, "Under Scrutiny, Big Ag Scrambles To Address Cyber Risk."

Chat with W0rmer, Regex, Wabafet Below:

Twitter:

W0rmer: @0x686967

Regex: @rej_ex

Wabafet: @wabafet1

We know Ransomware attacks have blown up in recent years and targets are as diverse as the type of attacks. We've discussed the challenges for businesses, small and enterprise, but what about for the public at large? Who is at risk? What percentage of the population is security savvy to know what to look for in attacks or attempts?

This week's Ransomware Battleground chat features special guest, Karen Rhodes, Chief Technologist at Hewlett Packard Enterprise to share her insights and guidance on educating family on friends on the very real threats affecting everyone.

Highlights:

• Stay up to date on updates and practice good discipline on scheduling and checking for updates
• Password storage tools may be convenient, but understand the risk if those applications are compromised.
• ASK FOR HELP

What is it about mainstream entertainment that makes the general population suddenly pay attention? Ransomware has grown exponentially in the last year and though it feels like attacks are daily occurrences, the majority of folks haven't changed behaviors, enacted additional security measures or seem to notice the impact that the headline attacks are a fraction of the overall number of attacks.

This week, Syya and Paul briefly chat on a recent episode of Last Week Tonight where the host, John Oliver, lays out the very real threats that ransomware poses and the repercussions with Ransomware as a Service, Double Extortion and let's cringe together - toys.

Ransomware is Mainstream! But will anything change?