News broke today of a Google study that indicated ransomware attacks have increased, and are likely to continue to do so, with cybercriminals realising how lucrative the business is. The research also found out that cyber-thieves have made at least $25m (£19m) from ransomware in the last two years. IT security experts commented below.
Andrew Clarke, EMEA Director at One Identity:
“Although the recent wave we read about, Wannacry and NotPetya did not generate much income – there are so many other variants emerging that it is still a worthwhile business for them to persue with an overall multi-million payout. Companies can mitigate the risk involved by ensuring that their systems are fully patched, regularly backed up and protected by network firewalls blocking malicious communication ports. They can ensure that their users receive regular updates to prepare them for the various techniques employed by cyber criminals. And they can manage their user population by having a solid provisioning/de-provisioning tool to ensure that only the right people have access to the right systems at the right time.”
Jim Walter, Senior Research Scientist at Cylance:
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