Tag Archive for: Businesses

Hornetsecurity: almost 60% of businesses are ‘very’ to ‘extremely’ concerned about ransomware attacks

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PITTSBURGH, PA – 10 October 2023 – Nearly 60% of companies are ‘very’ to ‘extremely’ concerned about ransomware attacks, according to latest research from leading cybersecurity provider Hornetsecurity. The company released the survey results at IT-SA 2023, Europe’s largest IT security trade show, where it is exhibiting.

In its annual Ransomware Survey, Hornetsecurity revealed that more than nine in ten (92.5%) businesses are aware of ransomware’s potential for negative impact, but just 54% of respondents said their leadership is ‘actively involved in conversations and decision-making’ around preventing such attacks. Four in ten (39.7%) said they were happy to ‘leave it to IT to deal with the issue’.

Commenting on the findings, Hornetsecurity CEO Daniel Hofmann, said: “Our annual Ransomware Survey is a timely reminder that ransomware protection is key to ongoing success. Organizations cannot afford to become victims –ongoing security awareness training and multi-layered ransomware protection is critical to ensure there are no insurmountable losses.”

Ransomware protection is a necessity

Reassuringly, 93.2% of respondents rank ransomware protection as ‘very’ to ‘extremely’ important in terms of IT priorities for their organization, and 87.8% of respondents confirmed they have a disaster recovery plan in place for a ransomware attack.

However, that leaves more than one in eight organizations (12.2%) without a disaster recovery plan. Of those companies, more than half cited a ‘lack of resources or time’ as the primary reason. Additionally, one-third of respondents said a disaster recovery plan is ‘not considered a priority by management’.

Comparing Ransomware Survey results in 2021-2023

This survey has been conducted annually over the past three years and has included asking respondents if their organization has fallen victim to a ransomware attack.

Since 2021, Hornetsecurity has found relatively small changes in the percentage of respondents saying their organizations have fallen victim to a ransomware attack: 21.1% in 2021, 23.9% in 2022, but a new low of 19.7% in 2023.

Additionally, companies that reported paying a ransom are down from 9.1% in…

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ALMOST 60% OF BUSINESSES ARE ‘VERY’ TO ‘EXTREMELY’ CONCERNED ABOUT RANSOMWARE ATTACKS

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LONDON, Oct. 10, 2023 /PRNewswire/ — Nearly 60% of companies are ‘very’ to ‘extremely’ concerned about ransomware attacks, according to latest research from leading cybersecurity provider Hornetsecurity. The company released the survey results at IT-SA 2023, Europe’s largest IT security trade show, where it is exhibiting.

Ransomware protection ranked as 'Very' to 'Extremely' important for organizations.

Ransomware protection ranked as ‘Very’ to ‘Extremely’ important for organizations.

In its annual Ransomware Survey, Hornetsecurity revealed that more than nine in ten (92.5%) businesses are aware of ransomware’s potential for negative impact, but just 54% of respondents said their leadership is ‘actively involved in conversations and decision-making’ around preventing such attacks. Four in ten (39.7%) said they were happy to ‘leave it to IT to deal with the issue’.

Commenting on the findings, Hornetsecurity CEO Daniel Hofmann, said: “Our annual Ransomware Survey is a timely reminder that ransomware protection is key to ongoing success. Organizations cannot afford to become victims –ongoing security awareness training and multi-layered ransomware protection is critical to ensure there are no insurmountable losses.”

Ransomware protection is a necessity

Reassuringly, 93.2% of respondents rank ransomware protection as ‘very’ to ‘extremely’ important in terms of IT priorities for their organization, and 87.8% of respondents confirmed they have a disaster recovery plan in place for a ransomware attack.

However, that leaves more than one in eight organizations (12.2%) without a disaster recovery plan. Of those companies, more than half cited a ‘lack of resources or time’ as the primary reason. Additionally, one-third of respondents said a disaster recovery plan is ‘not considered a priority by management’.

Comparing Ransomware Survey results in 2021-2023

This survey has been conducted annually over the past three years and has included asking respondents if their organization has fallen victim to a ransomware attack.

Since 2021, Hornetsecurity has found relatively small changes in the percentage of respondents saying their organizations have fallen victim to a ransomware attack: 21.1% in 2021, 23.9% in 2022, but a new low of 19.7% in 2023.

Additionally,…

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How to protect Florida businesses from computer hackers

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Hospital hacking

Are you a victim of a hospital hacking attack? | July 30

The government, commercial businesses and medical providers can deploy the latest firewalls, intrusion detection systems and antivirus software, but if they don’t have an up-to-date cybersecurity training program that requires all employees to be trained and tested every six months in recognizing phishing and hacking attacks and how to report them, they are ignoring the prime target of bad actors: humans.

The cybersecurity landscape is constantly changing. An effective security practice is to bring in third-party cybersecurity specialists who can set up half-day training seminars to include sending each employee a phishing email before the training started. Then they can use their responses as an example of what to do and what not to do.

The security program should be updated on a monthly basis to keep up with current hacking and phishing trends. The security team should send emails to all employees warning them about any new attack scenarios, such as compromised webpage portal attacks.

Management and system administrators should focus on role-based access control ensuring that employees don’t have more access to hospital data than is required to do their job. Encrypting data-at-rest will ensure that, even if the data is stolen, it will be useless to the perpetrators. Finally, proper network monitoring of external and internal access based on time of day and user login should be configured to immediately report any abnormal access, especially remote access.

Mark Khan, Tampa

The writer is a certified information systems security professional and a retired senior information assurance officer.

In defense of PragerU

PragerU: Well-documented extremism | Letters, July 29

The ad hominem attack is today’s medium of argument, which is to say there are no real arguments anymore. We simply attack people and entities, leaving issues aside. The letter writer attempts to bolster his attack with credentialism, which says credentials are what matters most when making statements.

Regarding PragerU’s credentials, it doesn’t matter to me if it’s a brick-and-mortar school that’s vetted by the Association of American…

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Businesses Must Learn To Live With Ransomware

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(MENAFN– Mid-East.Info)

By: Edwin Weijdema, Field CTO EMEA and Lead Cybersecurity Technologist, Veeam.

Last year, 85% of organisations were hit by at least one ransomware attack, according to the Veeam Data Protection Trends Report 2023. With almost all organisations suffering these attacks, it’s clear that the problem is not only widespread but almost inevitable these days. Though this might sound daunting, it’s by acknowledging this fact that we can manage this ever-present threat. So, let’s look at what solutions organisations can utilise to be able to live alongside ransomware.

Insurance only goes so far:

It’s clear that ransomware attacks are a very real and present threat – we see this every day, whether we’re watching the national news or sitting in the boardroom. Considering the ubiquity of these attacks, organisations need to be aware that a ransomware attack is no longer a case of ‘if’ you’ll be the target of an attack but ‘how often.’ While a vast number of organisations experienced at least one attack last year, the Veeam Data Protection Trends Report also showed that just under half (48%) suffered two or three attacks. This can feel like an overwhelming prospect for an organisation of any size, and the natural consequence is that many turn to cyber insurance in search of some peace of mind.

Cyber insurance may pay for the damage caused by a ransomware attack, but it’s important to remember that it can never prevent or undo this damage or the ripple effect it creates like loss of customers and customer trust. Education and transparency, however, can help prevent ransomware damage, but this is sometimes curtailed by cyber insurance policies.

As ransomware threats have increased, so have the stipulations of cyber insurance providers. The recent Veeam Ransomware Trends Report also found that more than 20% of organisations indicated that ransomware attacks were not covered by their cyber insurance provider, and even when they are covered, some providers stipulate that companies cannot speak publicly about the breach. The unfortunate consequence of this is that it keeps the reality of ransomware attacks – something so common – hidden away as a secret. Hopefully,…

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