Staying alert to the rise in ransomware2 min read

One of the most striking cybersecurity trends of the past year has been the significant uptick in ransomware. In fact, several high-profile ransomware cases were perpetrated by a single group, shifting its attack MO from simple point-of-sale attacks to injecting organisations with malware to hold data ransom.

This is in line with recent cybersecurity revelations and standards. For example, an organisation that is found to have had a data leak or whose servers are brought offline for any amount of time is not only subject to audits and fines, hindering their business processes, but also has to contend with debilitating reputational costs and must win back the trust of their customers.

Therefore, cybercriminals are exploiting the desire of organisations to protect not only their business processes, operations and data, but their desire to maintain their customer base. In short, organisations are more likely to be swayed by the threat of ransom – and might be compelled to pay dearly for it.

Though the costs may be severe and untangling an organisation from a ransomware scandal may be complex, the points of entry are not. Groups like these often rely on spam and phishing tactics to gain initial entry into a corporate system. Social phishing is incredibly common, and even just one employee who is not properly trained to spot such scams could bring the entire company down.

Today’s ransomware attacks aren’t random. Organisations need to be prepared for such hacks, and have proper mitigation and management plans in place should one occur – especially as networks continue to grow with the ever-increasing amount of remote working.

Our digital risk management platform, CyDesk, is an effective and cost-efficient way of protecting your organisation from all kinds of cyberattacks, including malware and ransomware. By automating routine security decisions, CyDesk lets you focus on emerging threats, providing you with real-time data and insights into your digital footprint.

Ransomware can be devastating. As 2020 comes to a close, make sure your organisation’s cybersecurity posture is as strong as it can be.