FEATURE : CYBERSECURITY
Ransomware , phishing , Zero Trust and the new normal of cybersecurity
San Francisco-based Babur Nawaz Khan , Technical Marketing Engineer at A10 Networks , discusses the rise of Zero Trust – the notion that we shouldn ’ t trust anything or anyone , inside or outside the network , with access to our computer systems .
When the COVID-19 pandemic struck , cybercriminals saw their opportunity and they took it . With corporate offices , government agencies , schools and universities shifting from in-person to remote work models , and even many healthcare interactions moving online , the rushed nature of the transition led to inevitable cybersecurity gaps . and ransomware attacks all spiked . Eighty percent of firms saw an increase in incidents in 2020 , and the COVID-19 pandemic was blamed for a 238 % rise in cyberattacks on banks . Phishing has jumped 600 % since the end of February 2020 .
Why ransomware attacks and costs are soaring
Consumer broadband and personal devices undermined the corporate security stack ; unsafe user practices and overlooked security patches opened ample vulnerabilities throughout the environment .
Meanwhile , an anxious and often confused public proved easy prey for phishing attacks . The impact was all too predictable : phishing attacks , DDoS attacks
The pandemic-driven surge in ransomware was immediate and dramatic . Ransomware attacks rose 148 % in March 2020 , with average payments up 33 % to US $ 111,605 compared with Q4 2019 and reaching US $ 170,000 by Q3 2020 .
While the rise in ransomware strikes likely resulted in part from greater opportunities for hackers , combined
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