According to Expel, a managed detection and response (MDR) company, the majority of ransomware assaults in 2021 were self-installed. The revelation was made in the annual report on cybersecurity trends and predictions, 'Great eXpeltations'.
Eight out of ten ransomware outbreaks were caused by victims unintentionally opening a zipped file containing malicious code. While, 3% of all ransomware cases were produced via abusing third-party access, and some 4% were caused by exploiting a software weakness on the perimeter.
Ransomware is a sort of software that locks users out of the computer and demands payment in exchange for access. The data on the computer could be stolen, destroyed, or hidden, or the computer itself could be locked; some ransomware may try to infect other computers on the network.
BEC (business email compromise) efforts accounted for 50% of cases, with SaaS apps being the most common target. More than 90% of the attacks targeted Microsoft Office 365, with attacks against Google Workspace accounting for less than 1% of all events. Okta was the objective of the remaining 9%.
Ransomware was responsible for 13% of all opportunistic attacks. Legal services, communications, financial services, real estate, and entertainment were the top five industries attacked. Furthermore, Expel discovered that 35 percent of web app hacks resulted in the deployment of a crypto miner.
Is the user at risk of being a victim of a ransomware assault due to security flaws?
- The device in use is no longer cutting-edge.
- The device's software is out of date.
- No longer are browsers and/or operating systems patched.
- There is no suitable backup plan in place.
- Cybersecurity has received insufficient attention, and no solid plan has been put in place.
How to Protect Oneself against Ransomware:
- Set up a firewall.
- Have immutable backups.
- Staff Awareness Through Network Segmentation.
- Password Strengthening.
- Security Enhance Endpoint Security.
- Increase the Security of Your Email.
- Use the Least Privilege Principle.
- Install ad blockers.
When it comes to combating ransomware, caution and the deployment of effective protection software, like with other forms of malware, are a good start. The development of backups is especially important when dealing with this form of malware, as it allows users to be well prepared even in the worst-case scenario.
