Ransomware: An Increasing, But Preventable Threat
Ransomware continues to grab headlines — from a recent attack on the San Francisco 49ers’ network to increasing efforts by the IRS to trace dark money and help bring ransomware gangs to justice.
If it seems like these incidents are increasing, that’s because they are. One cybersecurity company’s analysis found ransomware attacks worldwide doubled in 2021, TechRadar reports. Some companies find themselves paying up not once, but multiple times.
And yet, as we presented in our recent guide, Protecting Against Ransomware: Zero Trust Security for a Modern Workforce, the advice for protecting against ransomware has remained steady and straightforward — with 90% of attacks being preventable, according to Gartner.
At the top of the list of recommendations is multi-factor authentication. That is, requiring in addition to a username and password, something you have — like a trusted device, or a software or hardware token — before granting access. This makes it a lot more challenging for ransomware to get that initial foothold.
And, if attackers do manage to gain entry, our report additionally details tools for preventing or slowing down the propagation of ransomware, and approaches for protecting critical assets and parts of the organization while an attacker still has a presence in the environment and until full remediation is achieved.
As ransomware becomes more prevalent, companies must be more vigilant. Social engineering and spear phishing are successful because they exploit the human element of an organization’s security. Adopting and implementing a zero-trust security philosophy that starts with strong MFA and a trusted access platform is important for staying ahead of ransomware attacks.
Download the guide Protecting Against Ransomware: Zero Trust Security for a Modern Workforce, and learn how zero trust can help stop ransomware before it ever starts.
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