78% of Ransomware Victim Organizations Encounter Additional Threats-Turned-Extortions

Stu Sjouwerman | May 15, 2023

Ransomware Victim OrgNew data sheds light on how likely your organization will succumb to a ransomware attack, whether you can recover your data, and what’s inhibiting a proper security posture.

You have a solid grasp on what your organization’s cybersecurity stance does and does not include. But is it enough to stop today’s ransomware attacks? CyberEdge’s 2023 Cyberthreat Defense Report provides some insight into just how prominent are ransomware attacks and what’s keeping orgs from stopping them

According to the report, in 2023:

  • 7% of organizations were victims of a ransomware attack
  • 7% of those paid a ransom
  • 73% were able to recover data
  • Only 21.6% experienced solely the encryption of data and no other form of extortion

It’s this last data point that interests me. Nearly 78% of victim organizations experienced one or more additional forms of extortion (CyberEdge mentions threatening to publicly release data, notifying customers or media, and committing a DDoS attack as example additional threats mentioned by respondents).

IT decision makers were asked to rate on a scale of 1-5 (5 being the highest) what were the top inhibitors of establishing and maintaining an adequate defense. The top inhibitor (with an average rank of 3.66) was a lack of skilled personnel – we’ve long known the cybersecurity industry is lacking a proper pool of qualified talent.

In second place, with an average ranking of 3.63, is low security awareness among employees – something only addressed by creating a proper security culture with Security Awareness Training at the center of it all.

Topics: Ransomware

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