EDITOR ’ S QUESTION
Cybercriminals are the most serious threat facing organizations today . In the past year these bad actors have become increasingly aggressive as COVID-19 exacerbated cybersecurity challenges . Attacks have become more targeted , the deployment of ransomware more specialized and the payments of ransomware harder to trace .
Not only is data being held for ransom , but the threat of releasing sensitive information is rampant , creating a double threat .
Cybercriminals are able to easily adapt to changes in economic market conditions . As the world was adapting to the public health crisis , hospitals were particularly vulnerable with strained resources . downtime . However , bad actors are now also targeting backups , which used to be considered a recovery option .
Not only is data being held for ransom , but the threat of releasing sensitive information is rampant , creating a double threat . State and local governments have also been increasingly targeted .
Cybercriminals have found backdoors to delete or encrypt the backups as well , which is why ‘ unbreakable ’ backup solutions have become increasingly critical .
Limited budgets and IT personnel make them ideal targets and consequently force these organizations to quickly resolve cybersecurity breaches for operational continuity .
Once ransoms are paid , tracing the cybercriminals is increasingly difficult . Bad actors work with several other groups to share ransomware profits , thus also making them harder to trace .
Once data is compromised , hackers encrypt and / or delete valuable information , causing irreversible reputational damage , regulatory fines , and costly
Cybercriminals have found backdoors to delete or encrypt the backups as well , which is why ‘ unbreakable ’ backup solutions have become increasingly critical .
Furthermore , ransoms are increasingly being demanded in cryptocurrencies .
Payments can be made anonymously which means that it is often impossible for law enforcement to uncover the identity of the bad actors . p
SURYA VARANASI , CTO , STORCENTRIC
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