The future of ransomware attacks
With the evolution of technology, we have seen the proliferation of more sophisticated malicious software. One of the worst malware entities, ransomware, has had devastating impacts on many companies and individuals. Sadly, ransomware is becoming a frighteningly frequent offender, rising from 3.8 million attacks in 2015 to more than 1.5 billion in 2017.
Attacks every 10 seconds
Ransomware has become the most popular malware to deploy for cybercriminals. Individuals suffer attacks every 10 seconds on average, with businesses suffering attacks every 40 seconds. Even low-skilled cybercriminals have been developing “copycat” ransomware viruses to try and get in on the crime.
And it isn’t just small, ill-prepared business being targeted – a quarter of the businesses suffering attacks have more than 1,000 employees, and nearly three-quarters of the companies that suffered the attacks had to pay out.
The bottom line is that, clearly, too many companies’ IT defences are inadequate for defending against ransomware. And the problem is exacerbated by the fact that more and more new ransomware variants keep appearing, making it very difficult to keep up with.
The ultimate solution to the problem most likely lies in machine learning, enabling computers to make connections from known ransomware attacks to develop defences against new variants swiftly. Saving a copy of all your data on a backup server is still a valid approach, but some ransomware can find its way to your backup servers and cause severe problems. This is just another reason why the cloud is becoming an increasingly prominent presence.
RDP: The opening for ransomware
The majority of recent ransomware attacks have been delivered via Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP). This way, it doesn’t simply rely on human error but directly gains remote access to a server by scanning for open ports and using brute force to penetrate weak passwords. Even if a company avoids paying the ransom, the days of downtime with no access to files can be financially devastating for them.
Malware is an enormous, growing problem in cybersecurity that advances in sophistication alongside the evolution of positive technologies. It needs to be more closely monitored and protected against, and as long as there are no automated machine learning solutions, the safest option is to use a quality IT support company that understands the threat of ransomware and can take ongoing measures to protect you against it.
CARA Technology is an IT support business focused on providing an outsourced IT role for SMEs in the North West. We are a team of experts in our field and can take the burden of managing cybersecurity out of your hands to give you peace of mind. Cybersecurity is among our specialties, and we can follow the progression of ransomware attacks to ensure your business has the most up-to-date measures in place to protect against this devastating malware.
