Almost 40% of successful cyber attacks involve ransomware. It has boomed over the last several years. But why?
What is Ransomware?
Ransomware is a type of malware, that attempts to infiltrate your PC through various ways such as ransomware, and once it has accessed your PC, it locks your computer and files and makes it unable to use unless you pay a ransom. A ransom could be anywhere from £100.00 to £3,000.00
Ransomware & Small Businesses
Ransomware preys on the security mistakes of businesses and quickly cashes in once breached. In fact, many firms are buying bitcoin just for the event of needing to pay a ransom.
PC’s are the most popular target of ransomware, but cyber criminals are starting to attack more critical business systems such as databases. These are being targeted more and more, because businesses are more likely to pay a ransom to unlock their data.
Other popular types of attack
Ransomware is the most popular cyber attack at the present, but other types include:
- Accessing business networks with stolen credentials
- Impersonating suppliers through email to try to take payment
- Impersonating actual senior staff to try to push through payments.
On average, firms receive about seven pieces of malware a day.
What to do if you get Ransomware
The FBI has formally advised not to pay the ransom, as this just encourages further attacks against you and others.
There are free decryptors you can get offline to retrieve some encrypted files, however not all ransomware families have decryptors created for them, and it’s not always clear what decryptor is right for what strain.
The best way to fight Ransomware though, is to prevent it.
How to protect yourself from ransomware
Being aware of how it gets into your business is imperative. Your employees should also be aware. Your business should know how to identify a phishing email. It is imperative to have security too such as anti-virus and firewalls. If you don’t know the solutions available to you, contact your IT provider to find out more information. Stay safe.