According to Tripwire’s survey, ninety-three percent of information security professionals believe ransomware attacks will continue to escalate in 2016. In addition, over half (fifty-six percent) identified ransomware as one of the top three security concerns at their organizations. However, when asked if their companies could recover from a ransomware infection without losing critical data, less than one-third (32 percent) of the respondents said they are “very confident” they could do so.
“Ransomware delivers a great return on investment, so it’s not surprising that it is expected to be a growing problem for the foreseeable future,” said Travis Smith, senior security research engineer for Tripwire. “While prevention is the goal for every organization, being able to respond to an infection is every bit as important.”
The FBI has reported that ransomware attacks amassed over $200 million during the first three months of 2016, signaling that cyber criminals are currently on track to gain over $1 billion through ransomware by the end of the year. Ransomware infections can be spread through a variety of tactics, including spear phishing, malvertising, exploit kits, and more. “Following the 3-2-1 backup rule is a good first step to prepare for a ransomware infection,” said Smith. “You will need to have three copies of your data on two different types of media, with at least one of those copies being stored off-site. Organizations should continually test recovery procedures on these backups to keep the cost of restoring data as low as possible. In the end, paying a ransom may be determined by these efficiencies.”
