According to the latest data from international law firm RPC, ransomware attacks have more than doubled in the past year, driven by their increasing profitability for scammers. The number of attacks reported to the Information Commissioner’s Office has increased 100 per cent from 326 in 2020 to 654 in 2021.
The findings revealed that the finance, insurance, credit and Education and Childcare were the hardest hit sectors. The sectors that are privy to sensitive financial data are often at the highest risk of being targeted by gangs. https://www.cityam.com/uk-ransomware-attacks-double-in-past-year/
The fact that over the past year ransomware attacks have doubled in the UK; shows the sheer risk organisations now face. Organisations of all sizes, including small businesses without corporate budgets, need to act smart and know where to focus their efforts. According to Verizon’s latest data breach report, 85% of data breaches involved the human element and 36% of breaches involved phishing. Prevention is always better than cure, so firstly, organisations must train employees to look out for cyber-attacks such as phishing emails and ransomware threats. They must understand how to protect company data with simple policies such as ensuring password security and implementing multi-factor authentication (MFA). Secondly, IT teams must ensure company devices are constantly updated with the latest security software and prioritise patching vulnerabilities that pose a risk to the organisation. Thirdly, business continuity is key. IT teams should also make sure company data is regularly backed up and have a disaster recovery plan in place, so teams know what to do in case of a cyber-attack.