Don’t let ransomware hold your data hostage
If you’re one of the few businesses who hasn’t experienced some sort of cyber threat yet this year, put your computer or your phone down and go buy a lotto ticket. You are extraordinarily lucky.
More than 4,000 ransomware attacks have occurred every day since the beginning of 2016 according to Justice.gov. This problem has grown by over 300% since January of 2015. Each day, your business is susceptible to threats from insider and outsider attacks.
Who is vulnerable to a ransomware attack?
According to CSO, everyone is. “The long answer is more complicated. Your vulnerability to a ransomware attack can depend upon how attractive your data is to criminal hackers, how critical it is that you respond quickly to a ransom demand, how vulnerable your security is, and how vigorously you keep employees trained about phishing emails, among other factors.”
Essentially, no matter who you are or what you do, you are susceptible to an attack. If you’re a successful business owner, your data is at an even higher risk than the average Joe.
How does ransomware steal your data?
Most often, ransomware accompanies a phishing email. Another report found that over 97.25% of all phishing emails contain ransomware. You might be thinking to yourself, “I’d never fall prey to a phishing email scam! I know better.” Well, surprisingly enough, a study designed to monitor such behavior found that “78% of people claim to be aware of the risks of unknown links in emails. And yet they click anyway.”
Statistically, the chances are someone in your office is clicking on these dangerous email links, and it’s only a matter of time before it becomes problematic.
How should you respond to ransomware?
According to the Institute for Critical Infrastructure Technology, your response will differ depending on the type of organization you are. it is important for organizations and individuals to consider all of the possible responses to a ransomware demand. “Disengage from communicating with the attacker until the situation is thoroughly assessed and a course of action decided. Since attackers often give victims a time limit, organized response is essential to ensuring rational decision making. The proper response will depend on the risk appetite of the organization, the potential impact of the hostage data, the impact on business continuity, whether a redundant system is available, and the sectorial regulatory requirements.”
Ideally, you’d have a cybersecurity plan in place with a specific response ready in case of an attack. If you’re ready to protect yourself and set up a plan today, call us. We know how to protect your business from criminals, so you don’t become a statistic.
