Ransomware attacks dropped 61% last year, but organizations can’t be complacent
- By Ben
Despite a significant decrease in ransomware attacks, organizations must remain vigilant and implement strong security measures to protect against future threats.
Companies of all sizes continue to be vulnerable to ransomware threats, which can result in substantial interruptions to corporate operations and economic consequences. However, the latest evidence by cybersecurity company CyberEdge found that the amount of ransomware assaults fell by 61% in comparison to the previous year.
Although the recent decline in ransomware attacks is welcome news, it should not lead businesses to relax their vigilance in the face of this persistent menace. The reverse is true. The sophistication of the hackers behind all these assaults means that organizations must be more watchful now than ever before.
Many businesses have taken preventative precautions against cybercrime, such as implementing disaster and backup recovery systems, which has led to a drop in ransomware assaults. These expenditures have allowed businesses to lessen the blow of an effective ransomware assault, which has reduced the financial reward for the perpetrators.
While the number of ransomware attacks has decreased, cybercriminals are just changing their methods to circumvent the new safeguards.
For instance, hackers are increasingly focusing on Internet of Things (IoT) gadgets and outside suppliers with access to sensitive information and infrastructure. They are also adopting increasingly complex methods, such as launching assaults in phases to avoid being uncovered and encrypting data using different algorithms to make decryption more challenging.
What should organizations do?
A multi-layered approach
A multi-layered security strategy, including both technical and non-technical safeguards, is necessary for enterprises to fend off the constantly developing ransomware attacks. On the technological side, businesses should deploy network security and endpoint measures like prevention systems, intrusion detection and firewalls as well as reliable disaster recovery and backup systems.
As an added precaution against hackers, businesses should adopt multi-factor authentication and other stringent access control methods. This entails doing things like executing frequent security audits and vulnerability assessments, as well as tracking and analyzing system logs frequently.
Spreading employee awareness
As a non-technical measure, businesses need to teach and inform their workers about social engineering and phishing threats. This may reduce the likelihood of effective assaults and soften the blow of those that do succeed.
Preparation is key
In the event of a successful assault, businesses must also have an extensive emergency response procedure in place. It’s important to have a strategy in place for reporting the situation to the appropriate authorities and to know exactly what to do in the case of an assault. In addition to engaging with stakeholders including partners, customers, and vendors, the emergency response plan must include steps for recovering key data and systems.
Have an exit strategy
Last but not least, businesses must have a plan in place for responding to ransomware attacks. If the data is crucial and there’s no other way to get it back, you may have to pay the ransom. Nevertheless, paying the extortion is not advised since it rewards the perpetrators and might cause further harm to the victim’s image.
Conclusion
Last but not least, although the decline in ransomware assaults is encouraging, there is no reason for businesses to relax their guard against the continuing danger. To reduce the likelihood of major attacks and the effect of those that do occur, businesses should use a multi-layered cybersecurity strategy that makes use of both technological and non-technical safeguards. Moreover, businesses need to have a thorough emergency response strategy in place so they can respond effectively in the event of a ransomware attack. To further defend themselves against the ever-evolving ransomware menace, businesses may take the following measures.