The threat of ransomware still serious?

Understanding the Ransomware Threat

The first ransomware appeared about 35 years ago (in the 1990s) and has since continued to reinvent and perfect itself.

This type of threat does not presuppose the techniques used, which are numerous, but the end goal of the attack, which is the payment of a ransom.

Thus, some attacks aim to encrypt your data (and obviously your data backups), while other attacks proceed to steal sensitive data (R&D information, financial data, personal data, etc.) and threaten to release it, with obvious consequences on the company’s reputation and customer trust.

In either case, the goal is, of course, to obtain a ransom. And it seems to work because, although figures vary from one study to another, it is considered that about 50% of affected companies pay the ransom.

Why can’t cybersecurity solutions eliminate these threats?

With the increase in security budgets in companies, the question is legitimate.

The answer is multi-faceted.

The obsolescence of part of the information system is a significant vector of attack, as older components are no longer updated and are therefore vulnerable.

The complexity of computer systems, which are partly due to software developers, offers many potential entry points for attackers. Securing all these entry points is a constant challenge.

Obviously, human error remains a significant concern, whether it’s end-users or IT professionals, in the non-application of existing security rules… or the absence of explicit security rules.

The issue of the security budget is, of course, still relevant, as security prevents losing money but does not generate it. Company boards will always prefer to invest in digital solutions that improve their customer relations, the quality of their products and services, rather than invest heavily in security.

The mirage of absolute protection does not exist; resilience must be considered.

So yes, even with fortunately increasing effectiveness, cybersecurity solutions will not be able to prevent a successful attack, and it is, more than ever, necessary to think about cyber resilience.

The topic of air-gapped backups and IT business recovery will always remain major issues in dealing with ransomware.