What is Ransomware?

Ransomware, which focuses on encrypting files, documents, databases, and any other file type, has become the go-to mechanism for threat actors seeking profit. File recovery becomes next to impossible without a backup or a ransomware decryption tool, and the owner of the crucial files can read little more than a ransom note.

Why do you need anti-ransomware solutions?

Paying the ransom is never advisable, as it encourages further attacks and fuels cybercriminals with the money they need to keep going. Still, in 2020 alone, ransomware gangs made at least $350 million worth of cryptocurrency* in ransom payments. And this only accounts for companies that reported a ransomware incident to authorities and made payments.

*source: Chainanalysis, The 2021 Crypto Crime Report

How does ransomware enter the organization?

Ransomware’s entry points into an organization vary widely, and cybercriminals are extremely creative in exploiting both technological and human vulnerabilities. Often, risky user behavior leads to dangerous clicks on dubious links and ill-considered application/file downloads. The most common ransomware attack vectors are:

• Targeted phishing email loaded with malicious links and file attachments
• Malicious document downloads, either user-initiated or triggered via drive-by downloads
• Malicious application/executable file downloads, including bogus software and fake product updates
• Fileless attacks in memory space initiated from the browser, without ever touching the disk drive
• Infected documents and media files from network file shares and portable media drives.

How to protect against ransomware?

To prevent ransomware attacks, you must make it difficult for perpetrators to deploy their complex techniques, and you must adopt an anti-ransomware strategy in your organization by:

• Deploying multi-layered endpoint protection with anti-ransomware capabilities that can disrupt the whole attack chain
• Adopting strong security practices such as regular systems check-ups and remediation
• Teaching staff to spot phishing scams that often lead to a ransomware infection.