EDITOR ’ S QUESTION
WHAT ARE THE PROPER PRECAUTIONS TO TAKE TO AVOID A RANSOMWARE ATTACK ?
Zscaler , a leader in cloud security , has announced its new Ransomware Report featuring analysis of key ransomware trends and details about the most prolific ransomware actors , their attack tactics and the most vulnerable industries being targeted . cybercriminals hit organizations with a higher likelihood of ransom payout . We analyzed recent ransomware attacks where cybercriminals had the knowledge of things like the victim ’ s cyber insurance coverage as well as critical supply-chain vendors bringing them in the crosshairs of these attacks .
The Zscaler ThreatLabz embedded research team analyzed over 150 billion platform transactions and
Over the last few years , the ransomware threat has become increasingly dangerous .
“ As such , it is critical for businesses to better understand the risk ransomware represents and take proper precautions to avoid an attack . Always patch vulnerabilities , educate employees on spotting suspicious emails , back up data regularly , implement data loss prevention strategy and use zero trust architecture to minimize the attack surface and prevent lateral movement .”
36.5 billion blocked attacks between November 2019 and January 2021 to identify emerging ransomware variants , their origins and how to stop them . The report also outlines a growing risk from ‘ doubleextortion ’ attacks , which are being increasingly used by cybercriminals to disrupt businesses and hold data hostage for ransom .
“ Over the last few years , the ransomware threat has become increasingly dangerous , with new methods like double extortion and DDoS attacks making it easy for cybercriminals to sabotage organizations and do long-term damage to their reputation ,” said Deepen Desai , CISO and VP of Security Research at Zscaler .
“ Our team expects ransomware attacks to become increasingly targeted in nature where the
According to the World Economic Forum 2020 Global Risk Report , ransomware was the third most common and second most damaging type of malware attack recorded in 2020 . With payouts averaging US $ 1.45M per incident , it ’ s not difficult to see why cybercriminals are increasingly flocking to this new style of high-tech extortion . As the rewards that result from this type of crime increase , risks to government entities , company bottom lines , reputation , data integrity , customer confidence and Business Continuity also grow .
Zscaler ’ s research supports the narrative recently established by the US federal government , which classifies ransomware as a national security threat ; underscoring the need to prioritize mitigation and contingency measures when protecting against these on-going threats .
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