Globally the payments made in response to a ransomware attack have dropped significantly in the last year.
Global ransomware payments plunge by a third amid crackdown | Cybercrime | The Guardian
This is attributed to authorities and law enforcement agencies having successes with their investigations and prosecutions and a refusal by victims to pay the ransom.
However “victims refused to pay cybercriminals” is not so good if the threat actors go on and release a raft of personal and organisational information onto the internet or Dark Web. The victim here then is not really the organisation that allowed itself to be hacked but their clients and customers.
Anyway it is an almost good news story, because if the hacked organisation can weather the bad publicity and continue trading, the board and shareholders will benefit as the money that would have been spent on the ransom is still in the bank.
Your Takeaway
Yes, my words above are cynical – I know that – but the nature of ransomware gangs is what it is, if they do not get a ransom then they will carry out their threats.
What you need to do is think about your ransomware plan and to help with that I have written a short series of articles discussing the highlights of your ransomware plan and responses.
My Easter break project is to review and revise this primer – we all need to keep up with the current threats because ransomware has not gone away.
New NailaoLocker ransomware used against EU healthcare orgs
Even though you may not be the target of interest, a phishing attack could catch one of your team in the net as collateral damage.
Clive Catton MSc (Cyber Security) – by-line and other articles
