A new survey report has asked cybersecurity experts regarding the forecast of digital attacks in 2018. Interestingly, more than 80 percent of the surveyed experts have suggested that the year will experience more ransomware attacks as compared to the last. An overwhelming majority of experts indicating a rise in ransomware attacks is contradictory to what law enforcement bodies are claiming for some time. A rise in cryptovirological attacks means ransomware removal activities will remain in demand this year.
Improved Propagation Mechanism: A likely Reason for Ransomware Upsurge
2017 saw some significant ransomware attacks. WannaCry and Peteya showed that rapid propagation is a factor that makes any cryptovirological activity lethal and ransomware removal more cumbersome. Automated worming and offline propagation of a cryptographic infection significantly helped in increasing the infection rates last year. Experts think that this trend will continue in 2018 and remain there for a while.
Formation of Shadow IT leaves Organizations Vulnerable to Ransomware Attacks
Even though the majority of organizations have certain IT guidelines in place, but it is rarely being practiced by employees. Different findings suggest that several apps are being used for work-related tasks by employees, which are not authorized by their IT departments. This unregulated and unsecured use of organizational network has developed a shadow IT department that can serve as a weak link for ransomware operators.
Nearly 40 percent employees use their own devices to send and receive work-related emails. The accessibility to the organizational network from multiple devices only makes it easier for cryptovirological operators to infiltrate the systems.
It has also been estimated that a single cyber attack on a medium or large-sized organization can cost them around $250,000. It includes the losses of downtime, cost of ransomware removal etc. So, streamlining this shadow IT components of organizations is the next big challenge for cybersecurity experts.
Human Error Contributes the Most
Almost 64 of all digital security breaches are caused due to poor judgment and human error. This is the reason why email is still used as an effective tool for the delivery of ransomware payloads.
