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#StopRansomware: Cuba Ransomware

by Scott Muniz | Dec 1, 2022 | Security, Technology

This article is contributed. See the original author and article here.

Summary

Actions to take today to mitigate cyber threats from ransomware:

• Prioritize remediating known exploited vulnerabilities.
• Train users to recognize and report phishing attempts.
• Enable and enforce phishing-resistant multifactor authentication.

Note: This joint Cybersecurity Advisory (CSA) is part of an ongoing #StopRansomware effort to publish advisories for network defenders that detail various ransomware variants and ransomware threat actors. These #StopRansomware advisories include recently and historically observed tactics, techniques, and procedures (TTPs) and indicators of compromise (IOCs) to help organizations protect against ransomware. Visit stopransomware.gov to see all #StopRansomware advisories and to learn more about other ransomware threats and no-cost resources.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) are releasing this joint CSA to disseminate known Cuba ransomware IOCs and TTPs associated with Cuba ransomware actors identified through FBI investigations, third-party reporting, and open-source reporting. This advisory updates the December 2021 FBI Flash: Indicators of Compromise Associated with Cuba Ransomware.

Note: While this ransomware is known by industry as “Cuba ransomware,” there is no indication Cuba ransomware actors have any connection or affiliation with the Republic of Cuba.

Since the release of the December 2021 FBI Flash, the number of U.S. entities compromised by Cuba ransomware has doubled, with ransoms demanded and paid on the increase.

This year, Cuba ransomware actors have added to their TTPs, and third-party and open-source reports have identified a possible link between Cuba ransomware actors, RomCom Remote Access Trojan (RAT) actors, and Industrial Spy ransomware actors.

FBI and CISA encourage organizations to implement the recommendations in the Mitigations section of this CSA to reduce the likelihood and impact of Cuba ransomware and other ransomware operations.

Download the PDF version of this report: pdf, 652 kb.

Technical Details

Overview

Since the December 2021 release of FBI Flash: Indicators of Compromise Associated with Cuba Ransomware, FBI has observed Cuba ransomware actors continuing to target U.S. entities in the following five critical infrastructure sectors: Financial Services, Government Facilities, Healthcare and Public Health, Critical Manufacturing, and Information Technology. As of August 2022, FBI has identified that Cuba ransomware actors have:

Compromised over 100 entities worldwide.
Demanded over 145 million U.S. Dollars (USD) and received over 60 million USD in ransom payments.

Cuba Ransomware Actors’ Tactics, Techniques, and Procedures

As previously reported by FBI, Cuba ransomware actors have leveraged the following techniques to gain initial access into dozens of entities in multiple critical infrastructure sectors:

Known vulnerabilities in commercial software [T1190]
Phishing campaigns [T1566]
Compromised credentials [T1078]
Legitimate remote desktop protocol (RDP) tools [T1563.002]

After gaining initial access, the actors distributed Cuba ransomware on compromised systems through Hancitor—a loader known for dropping or executing stealers, such as Remote Access Trojans (RATs) and other types of ransomware, onto victims’ networks.

Since spring 2022, Cuba ransomware actors have modified their TTPs and tools to interact with compromised networks and extort payments from victims.[1],[2]

Cuba ransomware actors have exploited known vulnerabilities and weaknesses and have used tools to elevate privileges on compromised systems. According to Palo Alto Networks Unit 42,[2] Cuba ransomware actors have:

Exploited CVE-2022-24521 in the Windows Common Log File System (CLFS) driver to steal system tokens and elevate privileges.
Used a PowerShell script to identify and target service accounts for their associated Active Directory Kerberos ticket. The actors then collected and cracked the Kerberos tickets offline via Kerberoasting [T1558.003].
Used a tool, called KerberCache, to extract cached Kerberos tickets from a host’s Local Security Authority Server Service (LSASS) memory [T1003.001].
Used a tool to exploit CVE-2020-1472 (also known as “ZeroLogon”) to gain Domain Administrative privileges [T1068]. This tool and its intrusion attempts have been reportedly related to Hancitor and Qbot.

According to Palo Alto Networks Unit 42, Cuba ransomware actors use tools to evade detection while moving laterally through compromised environments before executing Cuba ransomware. Specifically, the actors, “leveraged a dropper that writes a kernel driver to the file system called ApcHelper.sys. This targets and terminates security products. The dropper was not signed, however, the kernel driver was signed using the certificate found in the LAPSUS NVIDIA leak.” [T1562.001].[2]

In addition to deploying ransomware, the actors have used “double extortion” techniques, in which they exfiltrate victim data, and (1) demand a ransom payment to decrypt it and, (2) threaten to publicly release it if a ransom payment is not made.[2]

Cuba Ransomware Link to RomCom and Industrial Spy Marketplace

Since spring 2022, third-party and open-source reports have identified an apparent link between Cuba ransomware actors, RomCom RAT actors, and Industrial Spy ransomware actors:

According to Palo Alto Networks Unit 42, Cuba ransomware actors began using RomCom malware, a custom RAT, for command and control (C2).[2]
Cuba ransomware actors may also be leveraging Industrial Spy ransomware. According to third-party reporting, suspected Cuba ransomware actors compromised a foreign healthcare company. The threat actors deployed Industrial Spy ransomware, which shares distinct similarities in configuration to Cuba ransomware. Before deploying the ransomware, the actors moved laterally using Impacket and deployed the RomCom RAT and Meterpreter Reverse Shell HTTP/HTTPS proxy via a C2 server [T1090].
Cuba ransomware actors initially used their leak site to sell stolen data; however, around May 2022, the actors began selling their data on Industrial Spy’s online market for selling stolen data.[2]

RomCom actors have targeted foreign military organizations, IT companies, food brokers and manufacturers.[3][4] The actors copied legitimate HTML code from public-facing webpages, modified the code, and then incorporated it in spoofed domains [T1584.001], which allowed the RomCom actors to:

Host counterfeit Trojanized applications for
- SolarWinds Network Performance Monitor (NPM),
- KeePass password manager,
- o PDF Reader Pro, (by PDF Technologies, Inc., not an Adobe Acrobat or Reader product), and
- Advanced IP Scanner software;
Deploy the RomCom RAT as the final stage.

INDICATORS OF COMPROMISE

See tables 1 through 5 for Cuba ransomware IOCs that FBI obtained during threat response investigations as of late August 2022. In addition to these tables, see the publications in the References section below for aid in detecting possible exploitation or compromise.

Note: For IOCs as of early November 2021, see FBI Flash: Indicators of Compromise Associated with Cuba Ransomware.

*Table 1: Cuba Ransomware Associated Files and Hashes, as of Late August 2022*
File Name		File Path	File Hash
netping.dll	c:windowstemp		SHA256: f1103e627311e73d5f29e877243e7ca203292f9419303c661aec57745eb4f26c
shar.bat			MD5: 4c32ef0836a0af7025e97c6253054bca SHA256: a7c207b9b83648f69d6387780b1168e2f1eabd23ae6e162dd700ae8112f8b96c
Psexesvc.exe			SHA256: 141b2190f51397dbd0dfde0e3904b264c91b6f81febc823ff0c33da980b69944
1.bat
216155s.dll
23246s.bat			SHA256: 02a733920c7e69469164316e3e96850d55fca9f5f9d19a241fad906466ec8ae8
23246s.dll			SHA256: 0cf6399db55d40bc790a399c6bbded375f5a278dc57a143e4b21ea3f402f551f
23246st.dll			SHA256: f5db51115fa0c910262828d0943171d640b4748e51c9a140d06ea81ae6ea1710
259238e.exe
31-100.bat
3184.bat
3184.dll
45.dll			SHA256: 857f28b8fe31cf5db6d45d909547b151a66532951f26cda5f3320d2d4461b583
4ca736d.exe
62e2e37.exe
64.235.39.82
64s.dll
7z.sfx
7zCon.sfx
7-zip.chm
82.ps1
9479.bat			SHA256: 08eb4366fc0722696edb03981f00778701266a2e57c40cd2e9d765bf8b0a34d0
9479p.bat			SHA256: f8144fa96c036a8204c7bc285e295f9cd2d1deb0379e39ee8a8414531104dc4a
9479p.ps1			SHA256: 88d13669a994d2e04ec0a9940f07ab8aab8563eb845a9c13f2b0fec497df5b17
a.exe			MD5: 03c835b684b21ded9a4ab285e4f686a3 SHA1: eaced2fcfdcbf3dca4dd77333aaab055345f3ab4 SHA256: 0f385cc69a93abeaf84994e7887cb173e889d309a515b55b2205805bdfe468a3 SHA256: 0d5e3483299242bf504bd3780487f66f2ec4f48a7b38baa6c6bc8ba16e4fb605 SHA256: 7e00bfb622072f53733074795ab581cf6d1a8b4fc269a50919dda6350209913c SHA256: af4523186fe4a5e2833bbbe14939d8c3bd352a47a2f77592d8adcb569621ce02
a220.bat
a220.dll			SHA256: 8a3d71c668574ad6e7406d3227ba5adc5a230dd3057edddc4d0ec5f8134d76c3
a82.exe			SHA256: 4306c5d152cdd86f3506f91633ef3ae7d8cf0dd25f3e37bec43423c4742f4c42
a91.exe			SHA256: 3d4502066a338e19df58aa4936c37427feecce9ab8d43abff4a7367643ae39ce
a99.exe			SHA256: f538b035c3de87f9f8294bec272c1182f90832a4e86db1e47cbb1ab26c9f3a0b
aa.exe
aa2.exe
aaa.stage.16549040.dns.alleivice.com
add2.exe
advapi32.dll
agent.13.ps1
agent.bat			SHA256: fd87ca28899823b37b2c239fbbd236c555bcab7768d67203f86d37ede19dd975
agent.dll
agent13.bat
agent13.ps1			SHA256: 1817cc163482eb21308adbd43fb6be57fcb5ff11fd74b344469190bb48d8163b
agent64.bin			SHA256: bff4dd37febd5465e0091d9ea68006be475c0191bd8c7a79a44fbf4b99544ef1
agsyst121.bat
agsyst121.dll
all.bat			SHA256: ecefd9bb8b3783a81ab934b44eb3d84df5e58f0289f089ef6760264352cf878a
all.dll			SHA256: db3b1f224aec1a7c58946d819d729d0903751d1867113aae5cca87e38c653cf4
anet.exe			SHA1: 241ce8af441db2d61f3eb7852f434642739a6cc3 SHA256: 74fbf3cc44dd070bd5cb87ca2eed03e1bbeec4fec644a25621052f0a73abbe84 SHA256: b160bd46b6efc6d79bfb76cf3eeacca2300050248969decba139e9e1cbeebf53 SHA256: f869e8fbd8aa1f037ad862cf6e8bbbf797ff49556fb100f2197be4ee196a89ae
App.exe
appnetwork.exe
AppVClient.man
aswSP_arPot2
aus.exe			SHA256: 0c2ffed470e954d2bf22807ba52c1ffd1ecce15779c0afdf15c292e3444cf674 SHA256: 310afba59ab8e1bda3ef750a64bf39133e15c89e8c7cf4ac65ee463b26b136ba
av.bat			SHA256: b5d202456ac2ce7d1285b9c0e2e5b7ddc03da1cbca51b5da98d9ad72e7f773b8
c2.ps1
c2.ps1
cdzehhlzcwvzcmcr.aspx
check.exe
checkk.exe
checkk.txt			SHA256: 1f842f84750048bb44843c277edeaa8469697e97c4dbf8dc571ec552266bec9f
client32.exe
comctl32 .dll
comp2.ps1
comps2.ps1
cqyrrxzhumiklndm.aspx
defendercontrol.exe
ff.exe			SHA256: 1b943afac4f476d523310b8e3afe7bca761b8cbaa9ea2b9f01237ca4652fc834
File __agsyst121.dll
File __aswArPot.sys
File __s9239.dll
File_agsyst121.dll
File_aswArPot.sys
File_s9239.dll
ga.exe
gdi32 .dll
geumspbgvvytqrih.aspx
IObit UNLOCKER.exe
kavsa32.exe			MD5: 236f5de8620a6255f9003d054f08574b SHA1: 9b546bd99272cf4689194d698c830a2510194722
kavsyst32.exe
kernel32.dll
komar.bat			SHA256: B9AFE016DBDBA389000B01CE7645E7EEA1B0A50827CDED1CBAA48FBC715197BB
komar.dll
komar121.bat
komar121.dll
komar2.ps1			SHA256: 61971d3cbf88d6658e5209de443e212100afc8f033057d9a4e79000f6f0f7cc4
komar64.dll			SHA256: 8E64BACAF40110547B334EADCB0792BDC891D7AE298FBFFF1367125797B6036B
mfcappk32.exe
newpass.ps1			SHA256: c646199a9799b6158de419b1b7e36b46c7b7413d6c35bfffaeaa8700b2dcc427
npalll.exe			SHA256: bd270853db17f94c2b8e4bd9fa089756a147ed45cbc44d6c2b0c78f361978906
ole32.dll
oleaut32.dll
open.bat			SHA256: 2EB3EF8A7A2C498E87F3820510752043B20CBE35B0CBD9AF3F69E8B8FE482676
open.exe
pass.ps1			SHA256: 0afed8d1b7c36008de188c20d7f0e2283251a174261547aab7fb56e31d767666
pdfdecrypt.exe
powerview.ps1
prt3389.bat			SHA256: e0d89c88378dcb1b6c9ce2d2820f8d773613402998b8dcdb024858010dec72ed
ra.ps1			SHA256: 571f8db67d463ae80098edc7a1a0cad59153ce6592e42d370a45df46f18a4ad8
rg1.exe
Rg2.exe
rundll32
s64174.bat			SHA256: 10a5612044599128981cb41d71d7390c15e7a2a0c2848ad751c3da1cbec510a2 SHA256: 1807549af1c8fdc5b04c564f4026e41790c554f339514d326f8b55cb7b9b4f79
s64174.dll
s9239.bat
s9239.dll
shell32.dll
stel.exe
syskav64.exe
sysra64,exe
systav332.bat			SHA256: 01242b35b6def71e42cc985e97d618e2fabd616b16d23f7081d575364d09ca74
TC-9.22a.2019.3.exe
TeamViewer.exe
testDLL.dll
tug4rigd.dll			SHA256: 952b34f6370294c5a0bb122febfaa80612fef1f32eddd48a3d0556c4286b7474
UpdateNotificationPipeline.002.etl
user32.dll
v1.bat
v2.bat
v3.bat
veeamp.exe			SHA256: 9aa1f37517458d635eae4f9b43cb4770880ea0ee171e7e4ad155bbdee0cbe732
version.dll
vlhqbgvudfnirmzx.aspx
wininet.dll
wlog.exe
wpeqawzp.sys
y3lcx345.dll
zero.exe			SHA256: 3a8b7c1fe9bd9451c0a51e4122605efc98e7e4e13ed117139a13e4749e211ed0

*Table 2: Cuba Ransomware Associated Email Addresses, as of Late August 2022*
Email Provider		Email Addresses
Cuba-supp[.]com	admin@cuba-supp[.]com
Encryption-support[.]com	admin@encryption-support[.]com
Mail.supports24[.]net	inbox@mail.supports24[.]net

*Table 3: Cuba Ransomware Associated Jabber Address, as of Late August 2022*
cuba_support@exploit[.]im

Table 4: IP Addresses Associated with Cuba Ransomware, as of Late August 2022
**Note:** Some of these observed IP addresses are more than a year old. FBI and CISA recommend vetting or investigating these IP addresses prior to taking forward-looking action such as blocking.
193.23.244[.]244	144.172.83[.]13	216.45.55[.]30
94.103.9[.]79	149.255.35[.]131	217.79.43[.]148
192.137.101[.]46	154.35.175[.]225	222.252.53[.]33
92.222.172[.]39	159.203.70[.]39	23.227.198[.]246
92.222.172[.]172	171.25.193[.]9	31.184.192[.]44
10.13.102[.]1	185.153.199[.]169	37.120.247[.]39
10.13.102[.]58	192.137.100[.]96	37.44.253[.]21
10.133.78[.]41	192.137.100[.]98	38.108.119[.]121
10.14.100[.]20	192.137.101[.]205	45.164.21[.]13
103.114.163[.]197	193.34.167[.]17	45.32.229[.]66
103.27.203[.]197	194.109.206[.]212	45.86.162[.]34
104.217.8[.]100	195.54.160[.]149	45.91.83[.]176
107.189.10[.]143	199.58.81[.]140	64.52.169[.]174
108.170.31[.]115	204.13.164[.]118	64.235.39[.]82
128.31.0[.]34	209.76.253[.]84	79.141.169[.]220
128.31.0[.]39	212.192.241[.]230	84.17.52[.]135
131.188.40[.]189	213.32.39[.]43	86.59.21[.]38
141.98.87[.]124	216.45.55[.]3

*Table 5: Cuba Bitcoin Wallets Receiving Payments, as of Late August 2022*
bc1q4vr25xkth35qslenqwd7aw020w85qrvlrhv7hc
bc1q5uc0fdnz0ve5pg4nl4upa9ly586t6wmnghfe7x
bc1q6rsj3cn37dngypu5kad9gdw5ykhctpwhjvun3z
bc1q6zkemtyyrre2mkk23g93zyq98ygrygvx7z2q0t
bc1q9cj0n9k2m282x0nzj6lhqjvhkkd4h95sewek83
bc1qaselp9nhejc3safcq3vn5wautx6w33x0llk7dl
bc1qc48q628t93xwzljtvurpqhcvahvesadpwqtsza
bc1qgsuf5m9tgxuv4ylxcmx8eeqn3wmlmu7f49zkus
bc1qhpepeeh7hlz5jvrp50uhkz59lhakcfvme0w9qh
bc1qjep0vx2lap93455p7h29unruvr05cs242mrcah
bc1qr9l0gcl0nvmngap6ueyy5gqdwvm34kdmtevjyx
bc1qs3lv77udkap2enxv928x59yuact5df4t95rsqr
bc1qyd05q2m5qt3nwpd3gcqkyer0gspqx5p6evcf7h
bc1qzz7xweq8ee2j35tq6r5m687kctq9huskt50edv
bc1qvpk8ksl3my6kjezjss9p28cqj4dmpmmjx5yl3y
bc1qhtwfcysclc7pck2y3vmjtpzkaezhcm6perc99x
bc1qft3s53ur5uq5ru6sl3zyr247dpr55mnggwucd3
bc1qp7h9fszlqxjwyfhv0upparnsgx56x7v7wfx4x7
bc1q4vr25xkth35qslenqwd7aw020w85qrvlrhv7hc
bc1q5uc0fdnz0ve5pg4nl4upa9ly586t6wmnghfe7x
bc1q6rsj3cn37dngypu5kad9gdw5ykhctpwhjvun3z
bc1q6zkemtyyrre2mkk23g93zyq98ygrygvx7z2q0t
bc1q9cj0n9k2m282x0nzj6lhqjvhkkd4h95sewek83
bc1qaselp9nhejc3safcq3vn5wautx6w33x0llk7dl
bc1qc48q628t93xwzljtvurpqhcvahvesadpwqtsza
bc1qgsuf5m9tgxuv4ylxcmx8eeqn3wmlmu7f49zkus
bc1qhpepeeh7hlz5jvrp50uhkz59lhakcfvme0w9qh
bc1qjep0vx2lap93455p7h29unruvr05cs242mrcah
bc1qr9l0gcl0nvmngap6ueyy5gqdwvm34kdmtevjyx
bc1qs3lv77udkap2enxv928x59yuact5df4t95rsqr
bc1qyd05q2m5qt3nwpd3gcqkyer0gspqx5p6evcf7h
bc1qzz7xweq8ee2j35tq6r5m687kctq9huskt50edv

See figure 1 for an example of a Cuba ransomware note.

*Figure 1: Sample Cuba Ransom Note 2, as of late August 2022*
Greetings! Unfortunately we have to report that your company were compromised. All your files were encrypted and you can’t restore them without our private key. Trying to restore it without our help may cause complete loss of your data. Also we researched whole your corporate network and downloaded all your sensitive data to our servers. If we will not get any contact from you in the next 3 days we will public it in our news site. You can find it there ( https[:]// cuba4ikm4jakjgmkeztyawtdgr2xymvy6nvgw5cglswg3si76icnqd.onion/ ) Tor Browser is needed ( https[:]//www.torproject.org/download/ ) Also we respect your work and time and we are open for communication. In that case we are ready to discuss recovering your files and work. We can grant absolute privacy and compliance with agreements by our side. Also we can provide all necessary evidence to confirm performance of our products and statements. Feel free to contact us with quTox ( https[:]//tox.chat/download.html ) Our ToxID: 37790E2D198DFD20C9D2887D4EF7C3E295188842480192689864DCCA3C8BD808A18956768271 Alternative method is email: inbox@mail.supports24[.]net Mark your messages with your personal ID:

Additional resources to detect possible exploitation or compromise:

MITRE ATT&CK TECHNIQUES

Cuba ransomware actors use the ATT&CK techniques listed in Table 6. Note: For details on TTPs listed in the table, see FBI Flash Indicators of Compromise Associated with Cuba Ransomware.

*Table 6: Cuba Ransomware Actors ATT&CK Techniques for Enterprise*
Resource Development
Technique Title	ID	Use
Compromise Infrastructure: Domains	T1584.001	Cuba ransomware actors use compromised networks to conduct their operations.
Initial Access
Technique Title	ID	Use
Valid Accounts	T1078	Cuba ransomware actors have been known to use compromised credentials to get into a victim’s network.
External Remote Services	T1133	Cuba ransomware actors may leverage external-facing remote services to gain initial access to a victim’s network.
Exploit Public-Facing Application	T1190	Cuba ransomware actors are known to exploit vulnerabilities in public-facing systems.
Phishing	T1566	Cuba ransomware actors have sent phishing emails to obtain initial access to systems.
Execution
Technique Title	ID	Use
Command and Scripting Interpreter: PowerShell	T1059.001	Cuba ransomware actors have used PowerShell to escalate privileges.
Software Deployment Tools	T1072	Cuba ransomware actors use Hancitor as a tool to spread malicious files throughout a victim’s network.
Privilege Escalation
Technique Title	ID	Use
Exploitation for Privilege Escalation	T1068	Cuba ransomware actors have exploited ZeroLogon to gain administrator privileges.[2]
Defense Evasion
Technique Title	ID	Use
Impair Defenses: Disable or Modify Tools	T1562.001	Cuba ransomware actors leveraged a loader that disables security tools within the victim network.
Lateral Movement
Technique Title	ID	Use
Remote Services Session: RDP Hijacking	T1563.002	Cuba ransomware actors used RDP sessions to move laterally.
Credential Access
Technique Title	ID	Use
Credential Dumping: LSASS Memory	T1003.001	Cuba ransomware actors use LSASS memory to retrieve stored compromised credentials.
Steal or Forge Kerberos Tickets: Kerberoasting	T1558.003	Cuba ransomware actors used the Kerberoasting technique to identify service accounts linked to active directory.[2]
Command and Control
Technique Title	ID	Use
Proxy: Manipulate Command and Control Communications	T1090	Industrial Spy ransomware actors use HTTP/HTTPS proxy via a C2 server to direct traffic to avoid direct connection. [2]

Mitigations

FBI and CISA recommend network defenders apply the following mitigations to limit potential adversarial use of common system and network discovery techniques and to reduce the risk of compromise by Cuba ransomware:

Implement a recovery plan to maintain and retain multiple copies of sensitive or proprietary data and servers in a physically separate, segmented, and secure location (i.e., hard drive, storage device, the cloud).
Require all accounts with password logins (e.g., service account, admin accounts, and domain admin accounts) to comply with National Institute for Standards and Technology (NIST) standards for developing and managing password policies.
- Use longer passwords consisting of at least 8 characters and no more than 64 characters in length.
- Store passwords in hashed format using industry-recognized password managers.
- Add password user “salts” to shared login credentials.
- Avoid reusing passwords.
- Implement multiple failed login attempt account lockouts.
- Disable password “hints.”
- Refrain from requiring password changes more frequently than once per year.
- Note: NIST guidance suggests favoring longer passwords instead of requiring regular and frequent password resets. Frequent password resets are more likely to result in users developing password “patterns” cyber criminals can easily decipher.
- Require administrator credentials to install software.
Require multifactor authentication for all services to the extent possible, particularly for webmail, virtual private networks, and accounts that access critical systems.
Keep all operating systems, software, and firmware up to date. Timely patching is one of the most efficient and cost-effective steps an organization can take to minimize its exposure to cybersecurity threats. Prioritize patching SonicWall firewall vulnerabilities and known exploited vulnerabilities in internet-facing systems. Note: SonicWall maintains a vulnerability list that includes Advisory ID, CVE, and mitigation. Their list can be found at psirt.global.sonicwall.com/vuln-list.
Segment networks to prevent the spread of ransomware. Network segmentation can help prevent the spread of ransomware by controlling traffic flows between—and access to—various subnetworks and by restricting adversary lateral movement.
Identify, detect, and investigate abnormal activity and potential traversal of the indicated ransomware with a networking monitoring tool. To aid in detecting the ransomware, implement a tool that logs and reports all network traffic, including lateral movement activity on a network. Endpoint detection and response (EDR) tools are particularly useful for detecting lateral connections as they have insight into common and uncommon network connections for each host.
Install, regularly update, and enable real time detection for antivirus software on all hosts.
Review domain controllers, servers, workstations, and active directories for new and/or unrecognized accounts.
Audit user accounts with administrative privileges and configure access controls according to the principle of least privilege.
Disable unused ports.
Consider adding an email banner to emails received from outside your organization.
Disable hyperlinks in received emails.
Implement time-based access for accounts set at the admin level and higher. For example, the Just-in-Time (JIT) access method provisions privileged access when needed and can support enforcement of the principle of least privilege (as well as the Zero Trust model). JIT sets a network-wide policy in place to automatically disable admin accounts at the Active Directory level when the account is not in direct need. Individual users may submit their requests through an automated process that grants them access to a specified system for a set timeframe when they need to support the completion of a certain task.
Disable command-line and scripting activities and permissions. Privilege escalation and lateral movement often depend on software utilities running from the command line. If threat actors are not able to run these tools, they will have difficulty escalating privileges and/or moving laterally.
Maintain offline backups of data, and regularly maintain backup and restoration. By instituting this practice, the organization ensures they will not be severely interrupted, and/or only have irretrievable data.
Ensure all backup data is encrypted, immutable (i.e., cannot be altered or deleted), and covers the entire organization’s data infrastructure.

RESOURCES

REPORTING

FBI is seeking any information that can be shared, to include boundary logs showing communication to and from foreign IP addresses, a sample ransom note, communications with ransomware actors, Bitcoin wallet information, decryptor files, and/or a benign sample of an encrypted file.

FBI and CISA do not encourage paying ransom as payment does not guarantee victim files will be recovered. Furthermore, payment may also embolden adversaries to target additional organizations, encourage other criminal actors to engage in the distribution of ransomware, and/or fund illicit activities. Regardless of whether you or your organization have decided to pay the ransom, FBI and CISA urge you to promptly report ransomware incidents immediately. Report to a local FBI Field Office, or CISA at us-cert.cisa.gov/report.

DISCLAIMER

The information in this report is being provided “as is” for informational purposes only. FBI and CISA do not endorse any commercial product or service, including any subjects of analysis. Any reference to specific commercial products, processes, or services by service mark, trademark, manufacturer, or otherwise, does not constitute or imply endorsement, recommendation, or favoring by FBI or CISA.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

FBI and CISA would like to thank BlackBerry, ESET, The National Cyber-Forensics and Training Alliance (NCFTA), and Palo Alto Networks for their contributions to this CSA.

References

Revisions

Initial Version: December 1, 2022

This product is provided subject to this Notification and this Privacy & Use policy.

Improving interoperability between the Visio web and desktop apps

by Contributed | Dec 1, 2022 | Technology

This article is contributed. See the original author and article here.

We’ve been working diligently to address user feedback about desktop files not opening in the Visio web editor. Today, we’re excited to announce that we’ve made a number of improvements towards a more seamless user experience between the Visio web and desktop apps.

What’s new

Visio users can now open and edit files containing shapes with the following properties in Visio for the web:

Rectangle gradients

More fill and line patterns

OLE objects

Data graphics

Shadow text

Vertical text

Double underlines

Shadow effects

Reflection effects

Glow effects

Soft edges

Bevel effects

3-D rotations

Perspectives and 3-D rotation perspectives

Compound line patterns

1-D and 2-D protection

*Note: Some interactions have been optimized to ensure they work in Visio for the web.

An image of a component architecture diagram demonstrating how shapes with gradients appear in Visio for the web.

Looking ahead

Our goal is to always make it easier for you to think and collaborate on ideas visually—whether improving processes, developing new reporting structures, or brainstorming concepts. With this new update, we hope you will find it easier to work with colleagues, from whichever app you prefer.

We are continuing to make improvements on this front and look forward to introducing support, for example, for diagrams containing shapes with layers or diagrams with more than 1,000 shapes. To learn more about the properties that can still lead to compatibility issues when editing files in Visio for the web, please see Why can’t I open a diagram for editing in Visio for the web?

Watch our on-demand webinar

Watch the event recording here: Editable for all: How to create diagrams that work virtually anywhere and across Visio versions. During this session, we show you how to create Visio files that can be accessed by all stakeholders regardless of which Visio version (or app) you use. We also discuss how to avoid or quickly address any web alerts that prevent in-browser edits, so you can jump right back into your workflow.

We are listening!

We look forward to hearing your feedback and learning more about how we can ensure a more seamless user experience between Visio apps. Please tell us what you think in the comment section below. You can also send feedback via the Visio Feedback Portal or directly in the Visio web app using “Give Feedback to Microsoft” in the bottom right corner.

Did you know? The Microsoft 365 Roadmap is where you can get the latest updates on productivity apps and intelligent cloud services. Check out what features are in development and coming soon on the Microsoft 365 Roadmap homepage or learn more about roadmap item, Improved interoperability between the Visio web and desktop apps.

#StopRansomware: Cuba Ransomware

by Scott Muniz | Dec 1, 2022 | Security, Technology

This article is contributed. See the original author and article here.

Today, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and CISA released a joint Cybersecurity Advisory (CSA) #StopRansomware: Cuba Ransomware to provide network defenders tactics, techniques, and procedures (TTPs) and indicators of compromise (IOCs) associated with Cuba ransomware. FBI investigations identified these TTPs and IOCs as recently as August 2022. This CSA updates the December 2021 FBI Flash: Indicators of Compromise Associated with Cuba Ransomware. Key updates include:

FBI has identified a sharp increase in the both the number of compromised U.S. entities and the ransom amounts demanded by Cuba ransomware actors.
Since spring 2022, Cuba ransomware actors have expanded their TTPs.
Third-party and open-source reports have identified a possible link between Cuba ransomware actors, RomCom Remote Access Trojan (RAT) actors, and Industrial Spy ransomware actors.

FBI and CISA encourage network defenders to review the joint CSA and to apply the included mitigations. See StopRansomware.gov for additional guidance on ransomware protection, detection, and response.

CISA Releases Three Industrial Control Systems Advisories

by Scott Muniz | Dec 1, 2022 | Security, Technology

This article is contributed. See the original author and article here.

CISA has released three (3) Industrial Control Systems (ICS) advisories on December 1, 2022. These advisories provide timely information about current security issues, vulnerabilities, and exploits surrounding ICS.

CISA encourages users and administrators to review the newly released ICS advisories for technical details and mitigations:

•   ICSMA-22-335-01 BD BodyGuard Pumps
•   ICSA-22-335-01 MELSEC iQ-R Series
•   ICSA-22-335-02 Horner Automation Remote Compact Controller

Engage your customers faster with AI-powered marketing email content

by Contributed | Nov 30, 2022 | Dynamics 365, Microsoft 365, Technology

This article is contributed. See the original author and article here.

Marketers are often asked to do more with lessand do it yesterday. Every day, they need to quickly create compelling, unique email content that grabs the customer’s attention in a sea of competing messages. Designing marketing email content can be incredibly challengingand often the toughest part is getting started. It’s hard to be creative under pressure. Wouldn’t it be ideal if you could just focus on the key points you want to convey and let artificial intelligence generate your email copy? With AI-powered Content ideas in Microsoft Dynamics 365 Marketing, you can.

Kickstart creativity with Content ideas

The new Content ideas feature in Dynamics 365 Marketing helps you kickstart the creation of marketing emails and discover new ways to express your thoughts. AI generates custom suggestions that you can review and edit, much like brainstorming with a teammate. With Content ideas, you can find inspiration in seconds to create engaging event registration emails or convincing reminders to return and complete a purchase.

Imagine that you work as a marketer for a clothing retailer. The new winter collection hits the market in a few days, and you need to create a promotional email to sell out the fall collection. All you need to get started are a few thoughts about what you want your email to say. Content ideas will use them to generate text suggestions for you.

You type:

The end of the year is in sight
Winter is coming, but the only thing that’s freezing are our prices
Use code HAPPYDANCE

graphical user interface, text, application

And, in just seconds, AI supplies the inspiration for engaging emails.

graphical user interface, text, application, email

Content ideas will generate up to 20 text suggestions for your key points. Select the content you like best and use it as-is or customize it. No more writer’s block.

With Content ideas, you can easily produce new and original marketing email content on demand, without having to struggle or search the web for hours for an original idea.

Content ideas is a game changer for marketers

In our example, Content ideas helped you craft your fall promotion email campaign in minutes. You gained precious time and created engaging email content that was perfectly adapted to your brand’s essence. Your email campaign is a remarkable success. Customers snapped up the remaining clothes from last fall. The store is ready for winter, and so are you with fresh content ideas!

There’s no doubt that generative AI is on the rise. It’s a game changer for marketers, and with good reason. The possibilities are infinite. Microsoft is at the forefront of incorporating this exciting innovative technology in our products. Through Content ideas, Dynamics 365 Marketing capitalizes on AI to make marketers more productive and their jobs easier. By providing custom solutions that make each business unique, Content ideas helps marketers reimagine their email campaigns to deliver more with less.

Try it today, and level up your email campaigns with unique content in seconds!

Next steps

To find out more about Content ideas in Dynamics 365 Marketing, read the release notes and check out the product documentation: Preview: Use AI to kickstart email creation with Content ideas (Dynamics 365 Marketing) | Microsoft Learn

Not yet using Dynamics 365 Marketing? Take a tour and start a free trial.

Notes

Content ideas is available in preview in English-language environments in the North America region only. We will expand availability to more regions if there is high customer demand.
Content ideas uses the most advanced generative AI language model in the world, GPT-3. GPT-3 has been trained on a vast number of text samples from the Internet to generate text in English that looks and sounds like it was written by a human. Microsoft runs on trust. Trust must be earned in the short term as well as the long term. In Dynamics 365 Marketing, we see the responsible use of AI as an opportunity to demonstrate trustworthiness as well as a path for innovationa way to minimize harm and expand our capacity to provide useful and delightful experiences for our customers and their customers. Read how Dynamics 365 Marketing approaches responsible AI with intention.
Product visuals are for illustrative purposes only and might not reflect the general availability feature.

The post Engage your customers faster with AI-powered marketing email content appeared first on Microsoft Dynamics 365 Blog.

Brought to you by Dr. Ware, Microsoft Office 365 Silver Partner, Charleston SC.

Microsoft named a Leader in 2022 Gartner® Magic Quadrant™ for Unified Communications as a Service, Worldwide

by Contributed | Nov 30, 2022 | Business, Hybrid Work, Microsoft 365, Technology

This article is contributed. See the original author and article here.

We are honored to announce that Gartner® has recognized Microsoft as a Leader in the 2022 Gartner® Unified Communications as a Service (UCaaS) Magic Quadrant™ report.

The post Microsoft named a Leader in 2022 Gartner® Magic Quadrant™ for Unified Communications as a Service, Worldwide appeared first on Microsoft 365 Blog.

Brought to you by Dr. Ware, Microsoft Office 365 Silver Partner, Charleston SC.

Azure Marketplace new offers – November 30, 2022

by Contributed | Nov 30, 2022 | Technology

This article is contributed. See the original author and article here.

We continue to expand the Azure Marketplace ecosystem. For this volume, 94 new offers successfully met the onboarding criteria and went live. See details of the new offers below:

Get it now in our marketplace
	Cloud Native Stack Virtual Machine Image: NVIDIA’s Cloud Native Stack VMI is a GPU-accelerated virtual machine image (VMI) that enables advanced functionality for developers, including better GPU performance, utilization, and telemetry.
	Demography: TensorGo’s Demography API detects faces in videos and returns gender, ethnicity, and estimated age in real time by using advanced machine learning models.
	Face Detection: TensorGo’s Face Detection API uses computer vision to detect faces in an image or video and return a bounding box around individual faces.
	Facial Landmarks: TensorGo’s Facial Landmarks API localizes a human face in an image or video and tracks the facial points to predict and track behaviors over time.
	FTP Server Basic on Windows Server 2019: This preconfigured image from Tidal Media includes a minimized FTP Server on Windows Server 2019. FTP (File Transfer Protocol) lets you transfer computer files between a server and client.
	Heart Rate Estimation: TensorGo’s Heart Rate Estimation API uses non-invasive computer vision techniques to estimate the heart rate of a subject in a video.
	Hyper-V on Windows Server 2022: Cloud Infrastructure Services’ Hyper-V Server lets you deploy nested virtualization on Microsoft Azure to host multiple operating systems and containerized virtual machines.
	Jenkins on Debian 10 with Support: This virtual machine from ATH provides Jenkins 2.361 on Debian 10. Jenkins is an open-source automation server that runs servlet containers and version control tools for CI/CD tasks.
	Jenkins on Debian 11 with Support: This virtual machine from ATH provides Jenkins 2.361 on Debian 11. Jenkins is an open-source automation server that runs servlet containers and version control tools for CI/CD tasks.
	Jenkins on Ubuntu 18.04 LTS with Support: This virtual machine from ATH provides Jenkins 2.361 on Ubuntu 18.04 LTS. Jenkins is an open-source automation server that runs servlet containers and version control tools for CI/CD tasks.
	Jenkins on Ubuntu 20.04 LTS with Support: This virtual machine from ATH provides Jenkins 2.361 on Ubuntu 20.04 LTS. Jenkins is an open-source automation server that runs servlet containers and version control tools for CI/CD tasks.
	License Plate Recognition: TensorGo’s License Plate Recognition API uses optical character recognition to identify vehicles in traffic and extract their license plate numbers.
	Low Light and Infrared Face Detection: TensorGo’s Low Light IR Face Detection API overcomes environmental conditions to identify faces and people from video captured in low lighting or by an infrared (IR) camera.
	LTAPPS Timesheet: The LTAPPS Timesheet is a time-tracking app for Microsoft Teams and SharePoint, whether desktop or mobile, that lets employees and managers track hours, overtime, and absences.
	People Detection: TensorGo’s People Detection API lets you detect people moving in videos, regardless of which direction they are facing, the light levels, and their clothing.
	People Segmentation: TensorGo’s People Segmentation API provides real-time detection and segmentation of people in an image or video, allowing you to home in on individuals in crowds.
	Pose Estimation: TensorGo’s Pose Estimate API can track the pose and orientation of a person or object from an image or video to determine whether the person is standing, sitting, or performing activities.
	Rocky Linux 8 – Generation 2 Virtual Machine: ProComputers has preconfigured this minimal, ready-to-use generation 2 virtual machine containing Rocky Linux 8, cloud-init, and the Microsoft Azure Linux Agent.
	Rocky Linux 9 Minimal: Ntegral has preconfigured this minimal virtual machine containing Rocky Linux 9 for use on Azure. Rocky Linux is used for enterprise cloud environments including Node.js, web, and database applications.
	Ruby on Rails: Data Science Dojo has packaged Ruby on Rails on Ubuntu 20.04 to enable students, developers, and organizations focused on web-based products to easily create Ruby-based data science apps.
	Salesken – AI Assistance: Salesken is a real-time, Azure-based sales assistant that provides AI-driven conversation insights from contextual clues and talking points, enabling you to navigate sales discussions with ease.
	SmartDA: SmartDA is an app for Microsoft Teams that provides a versatile and personalized internal assistant using Intumit’s conversational AI to answer user questions about Microsoft 365.
	Traffic Analyzer: TensorGo’s Traffic Analyzer API detects vehicles, pedestrians, and road signs from images or videos, identifying the location and number of vehicles and people.
	Ubuntu 20.04.5 LTS: Ntegral provides this preconfigured image of Ubuntu 20.04.5 LTS for use on Microsoft Azure. Ubuntu is a popular Linux distribution used to serve enterprise workloads such as Node.js, web, and databases.
	Veritas InfoScale for the Cloud (Ireland): Veritas’s InfoScale is a comprehensive availability and storage management solution delivering a common platform across physical, virtual, and multi-cloud infrastructure.
	Veritas InfoScale for the Cloud (Singapore): Veritas’s InfoScale is a comprehensive availability and storage management solution delivering a common platform across physical, virtual, and multi-cloud infrastructure.
	Veritas InfoScale for the Cloud (United States): Veritas’s InfoScale is a comprehensive availability and storage management solution delivering a common platform across physical, virtual, and multi-cloud infrastructure.
	VSM for Microsoft Teams: Virsae’s VSM Everywhere is a centralized network management and optimization platform to ensure that your Microsoft Teams and contact center environments operate at peak performance.
Go further with workshops, proofs of concept, and implementations
	Azure ARC and Azure Stack HCI: 1-Day Workshop: Available only in German, Bechtle’s practical workshop will present an overview of Microsoft Azure ARC and Azure Stack HCI, as well as use cases to manage your infrastructure uniformly.
	Azure DevOps Best Practices: 1-Day Workshop: Learn from PetaBytz about best practices, tips, tricks, and working demos for Microsoft Azure DevOps to get the most out of your Agile software development stack.
	Business-driven Web Analytics Solution: 5-Week Implementation: Polestar will deliver dashboards built on Microsoft Power BI to help you track web statistics across your analytics stores by using Microsoft Azure Data Factory and Azure Services.
	Cloud Deployment, Migration, and Modernization Services: ISM’s Cloud Deployment, Migration, and Modernization services are targeted to optimize costs and line-of-business delivery for your enterprise IT landscape by using greenfield implementations on Microsoft Azure.
	Cloud End-to-End Managed Services: ISM offers complete management of part or all of your Microsoft Azure environment, whether standalone or hybrid, in alignment with ITIL and the Microsoft Cloud Adoption Framework.
	Cloud Migration Service: 3-Week Implementation: NCS will accelerate your migration and adoption of Microsoft Azure through this low-risk, cost-optimized service that includes strategic planning, technical design, delivery validation, and more.
	DevSecOps Automated Pipeline Process: Implementation: Vismaya India will analyze your traditional automated pipelines and manual development processes, then implement an automation solution built on Microsoft Azure DevOps.
	Hybrid Cloud Sync Services: AlgoSystems’ Hybrid Cloud Sync Services will provide you with a modern and reliable file solution built on Microsoft Azure File Sync and Azure Backup to support your business and users.
	Infrastructure as Code on Azure DevOps: 1-Week Implementation: Drawing on expert experience, PetaBytz will use industry best practice blueprints to drive your adoption of Microsoft Azure DevOps to optimize delivery of business products and services.
	Innovation Jumpstart: 6-Week Proof of Concept: Quisitive’s Innovation Jumpstart helps organizations build a ready-to-execute app roadmap and rapidly prototype a solution built on Microsoft Azure.
	Network Management on Azure for Multi-cloud: 2-Week Proof of Concept: Metanext will implement Aviatrix for Microsoft Azure to improve your management of networks and security in your multi-cloud environment. This offer is available only in French.
	Quickstart Service for Prisma Cloud: 6-Month Implementation: Palo Alto Networks’ Quickstart Service for Prisma Cloud CPSM delivers visibility, compliance, and governance for threat detection and behavior analytics on Microsoft Azure.
Contact our partners
Alfresco Consultation: 2-Hour Briefing
Analytics Solution: 4-Week Assessment
Angles for SAP
Anomaly Detection
Application Modernization on Azure: 4-Week Assessment
ARGOS Cloud Security for Microsoft Sentinel
Azure Database Migration: 2-Hour Briefing
Azure Migrate: 1-Hour Briefing
Beak Vulnerability Detection & Response
Canopy Remote Device Management Software
Cisco Cyber Vision
Clobotics REA
Cloud Discovery, Assessment, and Advisory Services
Cloud Readiness: 8-Day Assessment
Data Discovery for Manufacturing and Construction: 3-Week Assessment
Data Governance: 8-Week Assessment
DevOps (CI/CD) for z/OS Mainframes
DevOps Consulting
DrAid AI Cognitive Service
Enable Customer Success for Cloud Adoption Framework: 4-Hour Briefing
FONS Galen
Forcepoint Email Security V8.5.5
Hf.flow Application
Holistic Business Case Solution for Microsoft 365: 4-Week Assessment
Honeywell Forge Performance+ Industrial Asset Performance
IBM Cloud Pak for Data on ARO – BYOL
Info-Tech Mobile Attendance App
Managed GitHub Enterprise Server
mirro.ai Mood Analyzer (SaaS)
Panoptica Cloud Native Application Security For Developers
Percy Intranet
Prime Unified Messaging Platform
Process Runner for Microsoft 365
Proximus Identity Governance: Assessment
Quorum Cyber Managed eXtended Detection & Response (XDR)
ReversingLabs File Enrichment
SAP & Microsoft Analytics Combined: 5-Day Assessment
Seavus Application Modernization: 4-Week Assessment
Spark Unified Media Platform
Spicy Managed Microsoft Sentinel Service
SPiDER TM (Japan)
SPiDER TM 5.5 (South Korea)
Spirent for Azure Public Multi-access Edge Compute
Stipra
SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 15 SP4 – Hardened BYOS (x86_64)
Sustainability Data Insights
SymphonyAI Sensa – SensaAML (AI-based Anti-Money Laundering)
US Exports Bill of Lading
US Imports Bill of Lading
US Imports Bill of Lading Commodity Details
Veridis Carbon Management
WeTrack
Windows 365 Cloud PC
Yanomaly Asset Health Monitoring

From sign language capabilities to gaming in Teams—here’s what’s new in Microsoft 365

by Contributed | Nov 30, 2022 | Business, Hybrid Work, Microsoft 365, Technology, Work Trend Index

This article is contributed. See the original author and article here.

Empowering today’s digitally connected, distributed workforce requires the right culture powered by the right technology. This month in Microsoft 365, we’re highlighting new capabilities to boost productivity and inclusion.

The post From sign language capabilities to gaming in Teams—here’s what’s new in Microsoft 365 appeared first on Microsoft 365 Blog.

Brought to you by Dr. Ware, Microsoft Office 365 Silver Partner, Charleston SC.

Credit card debt relief that wasn’t

by Scott Muniz | Nov 30, 2022 | Security

This article was originally posted by the FTC. See the original article here.

Brought to you by Dr. Ware, Microsoft Office 365 Silver Partner, Charleston SC.

The right work assignment method can improve agent satisfaction and utilization

by Contributed | Nov 29, 2022 | Dynamics 365, Microsoft 365, Technology

This article is contributed. See the original author and article here.

As a contact center manager, you need to ensure that customers are routed to the right agent while balancing factors like customer satisfaction, tiered SLA commitments, and agent satisfaction and utilization. Automated work assignment in Microsoft Dynamics 365 Customer Service can help. Choose the right assignment method to prioritize agents when multiple agents satisfy a work item’s skill and availability requirements, and Dynamics 365 unified routing will do the rest.

Out-of-box work assignment strategies

Let’s look at the assignment strategies available in unified routing and the scenarios where they may be most effective. Three are provided for you “out of the box.” These strategies incorporate skills-based routingthat is, if an incoming call is associated with a skill, then the assignment strategy will select only appropriately skilled agents. You can also create custom assignment methods to meet your business needs.

Highest capacity: Assign the work to the agent who has the most capacity remaining

In messaging channels like live chat and social media, agents can carry on multiple conversations at the same time. The number of conversations an agent can manage in parallel is their capacity. When more than one agent meets the requirements of an incoming work item, the highest capacity method assigns it to the agent who has the most capacity remaining. This strategy helps maintain an even distribution of conversations, leading to happier agents and more efficient agent utilization.

Let’s see how highest capacity assignment plays out in a sample scenario. We have two agents in a chat queue, Kayla Lewis and Finn Patel. Each has the same skills and the capacity to handle up to three chats at once.

Kayla and Finn are each assigned two chats. Kayla closes one of hers quickly. When the next chat comes in, both Kayla and Finn match the requirements, but Finn is still working on both of his earlier chats. Kayla has more available capacity, so she’s assigned the incoming chat.

Let’s extend this scenario and see what happens when there is a tie in capacity. When the next chat comes in, Kayla and Finn are “tied” at two chats each. Unified routing uses round robin assignment to break the tie. That means that since the last chat was assigned to Kayla, the new chat will be assigned to the next available agent, Finn.

Round robin: Assign the work to the agent who’s next in line

With asynchronous and longer-running conversation types like email, incidents, and tasks, capacity isn’t as important a consideration in assigning agents. In these cases, round robin assignment offers a way to evenly distribute conversations across agents. Round robin assigns a new work item to the next agent in turn. (This feature will be renamed “advanced round robin” in an upcoming release.)

Let’s look at how this plays out. This time Kayla and Finn are tasked with handling cases. By mid-morning, Kayla and Finn have been assigned four cases each. Kayla’s fourth case was assigned before Finn’s. After some time, Finn resolves one of his cases, leaving him with three open cases. A short while later, a new case comes in. Since Finn received a case last, unified routing assigns the next case to Kayla, even though Finn has more capacity available. This ensures that Kayla and Finn can work on a similar number of cases at an even pace.

Most idle: Assign the work to the agent who’s had the longest break

Most idle assignment is a common routing strategy in automatic call distribution systems. This method assigns conversations to agents based on how long ago they ended their last conversation. It gives agents who are working on longer, more complex conversations a chance to take a break and distributes new conversations to other agents. Most idle assignment has the largest impact on agent satisfaction and utilization in the voice channel.

Returning to Kayla and Finn, we find they’re now working in the voice queue. Kayla has a call that comes in at 1:00 PM. Finn takes a call at 1:05 PM. Kayla’s issue is complex and takes her 15 minutes to close. Finn solves his customer’s problem in five minutes. The next call comes in at 1:20 PM. The round robin method would assign the new call to Kayla since it’s her turn and she’s available. But with most idle routing, Finn is assigned the call instead since his last call ended earlier than Kayla’s. In effect, he’s had a longer break.

Custom strategies for complex work assignment requirements

If your call center has more complex work prioritization and agent assignment requirements, custom rules may meet your needs better than the out-of-box rules. Unified routing in Dynamics 365 Customer Service offers an option to create custom work assignment methods when you need to:

Route work items to agents based on specific attributes or related entities
Dynamically match an agent attribute with a conversation attribute
Create fallback conditions to ensure the customer connects with an agent without a long wait (bullseye routing)
Sort or prioritize agents based on attributes like proficiency in a particular skill type, the agent’s name, and so on

A custom assignment method is made up of two parts, a custom prioritization ruleset and a custom assignment ruleset.

Custom prioritization ruleset. By default, unified routing assigns work in first-in, first-out order. This ensures that the customers who have been waiting the longest are connected to an agent first. If you need more prioritization bucketsfor priority customers, SLA expiration, and so onthen you can define a custom prioritization rule with multiple rules for each bucket.

Custom assignment ruleset. You can define assignment rules with custom agent matching and ordering parameters.

Choosing the right work assignment strategy is essential to maintain high agent satisfaction while optimizing agent utilization. Which assignment strategy do you use?

Learn more

To get more information about unified routing and work assignment in Customer Service, check out our recent blog post and read the documentation:

Improve CSAT by connecting customers to agents using automatic assignment in unified routing | Microsoft Dynamics 365 Blog

Assignment methods in unified routing | Microsoft Learn

Configure assignment methods and rules for queues | Microsoft Learn

Haven’t tried Customer Service yet? Visit the Dynamics 365 Customer Service overview, where you can take a tour and sign up for a free trial.

This blog post is part of a series of deep dives that will help you deploy and use unified routing at your organization.See other posts in the series to learn more.

The post The right work assignment method can improve agent satisfaction and utilization appeared first on Microsoft Dynamics 365 Blog.

Brought to you by Dr. Ware, Microsoft Office 365 Silver Partner, Charleston SC.

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Summary

Technical Details

Overview

Cuba Ransomware Actors’ Tactics, Techniques, and Procedures

Cuba Ransomware Link to RomCom and Industrial Spy Marketplace

INDICATORS OF COMPROMISE

MITRE ATT&CK TECHNIQUES

Mitigations

RESOURCES

REPORTING

DISCLAIMER

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

References

Revisions

What’s new

Looking ahead

Watch our on-demand webinar

We are listening!

Kickstart creativity with Content ideas

Content ideas is a game changer for marketers

Next steps

Notes

Get it now in our marketplace

Go further with workshops, proofs of concept, and implementations

Contact our partners

Out-of-box work assignment strategies

Highest capacity: Assign the work to the agent who has the most capacity remaining

Round robin: Assign the work to the agent who’s next in line

Most idle: Assign the work to the agent who’s had the longest break

Custom strategies for complex work assignment requirements

Learn more

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