FBI Cyber is one of the primary (if not the primary) law enforcement agencies engaged in the fight against cyber crime both domestically and internationally. Statistics like those in this article (18% overall ransomware increase in 2018 with 1billion in losses) are unfortunately, the norm.
Here is the problem. The increase is indicative of a dangerous shift in the methodology and organizations inflicting the damage. In several previous post I have outlined different aspects of this emerging threat:
Healthcare is a new and dangerous target. Critical care was for a long time considered taboo in the cyber crime world. No longer. EVERYONE is a target, collateral damage is not a concern.
Young US and Western European hackers are teaming up with seasoned Russian Ransomware gangs to create devastating domestic attacks in their respective countries.
RAAS or Ransomware as a Service has become wildly popular. You can literally sign up to utilize ransomware that someone else designed (meaning you don't have to be skilled or sophisticated enough to create it) and then simply (relatively) spread it around until you get a bite. Meaning? If you are a talented graphic designer and can create convincing emails that you use to phish major targets (think Henry Schein, Change Healthcare, ATT, MGM) then you can land big paydays and create tons of chaos.
The combination of all of these emerging threats (and many more) means that what we were doing yesterday to protect our business/client data is not cutting it today. We have to be pivoting to more sophisticated protection, layering our defenses, educating our teams, and constantly staying informed about what is changing and what is emerging.
Sound like too much to do on top of everything else you are already overwhelmed with? Of course it does, because it is. Just like your clients depend on you to focus and stay on the cutting edge in your field of expertise you need to rely on experts to do the same for you when it comes to securing your business.
Want to talk to an expert? Just want to see how well you're doing now?
Visit Real-techsupport.com or call us at 812-314-6724 and schedule a consultation.
Harden the target, stay vigilant!
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