Increase Ransomware Attacks Against Businesses

In today’s blog, The IT Company wa­nts to put an emphasis on the security of businesses and their computer systems. Recent reports and news has made IT companies aware that our job is as important as ever. With an extreme increase in attacks on businesses, IT security needs to be at its strongest and businesses need to be aware and cautious.

The number of cyber attacks against businesses has increased by 235% already in quarter one of 2019. Cybercriminals have very evidently shifted their focus of attack from individual consumers to businesses.

Malwarebytes’ “Cybercrime Tactics and Techniques Q1 2019” report provides evidence of this huge increase in malware families that have been detected across the board. There has been a continual decrease in hijackers throughout 2018, but every other malware family has seen this drastic increase.

The presence of ransomware has seen the greatest increase of all the malware families. Reports show that since quarter 1 of 2018, businesses have seen an increase of 508% and since quarter 4 of 2018 there’s been a 189% increase. While the increase of ransomware is scary for businesses, it has continued to decrease for individual consumers. Continuing to back the evidence that cybercriminals are shifting their focus to businesses.

Why are cybercriminals shifting their focus so heavily to businesses? The exact reason is unknown, however it is believed that it is “in large part due to a massive attack by the Troldesh ransomware against U.S. organizations in early quarter 1.” It has also been theorized that the large increase in focus change can be accredited to the fact that commercial organizations can afford to pay larger ransoms.

Commercial businesses have a higher need than consumers to get their computer systems unlocked and their files decrypted. So not only can they afford to pay more, but they are likely to be more willing to do so due to the importance their computer systems and data have to businesses. So when cybercriminals have begun to emphasize attacks on businesses, they likely have this in mind.

How does this impact you? As with anything, The IT Company believes knowledge is power. By being aware of the focus cybercriminals now have on businesses, employees can be empowered just by being more cautious and careful. The same defenses The IT Company constantly encourages need to be a priority to your company now.

As cybercriminals are increasingly targeting businesses, your company’s security needs to be a priority. At The IT Company we promise to make your security our priority. Schedule a meeting with us to learn how we can come alongside your business in protecting you.