Verizon’s 2018 Data Breach Investigations Report showed that ransomware removal cases account for 39 percent of malware cases. It was found that the objectives of hackers are changing. Initially, they used to target a single user by getting access to his personal information, but now, their strategies have evolved and they are more focused towards demanding ransom by hacking a wider range of networks.
Why Ransomware Attacks are Preferred
Verizon’s research into ransomware removal found out the reason behind this shift to be the easiness and convenience of ransomwares. In addition to being powerful, ransomware can be easily created and deployed. It does not require a high level of expertise, experience or knowledge of cyber security as there are several available platforms to develop a ransomware.
Moreover, the risks are lower while the returns are higher. Previously, hackers used to hack personal data of users and tried to use it to generate money themselves. However, with ransomware, the user is blackmailed directly for his data and is forced to pay.
Culprits
The ransomware removal report also provided some data about the attackers. 73 percent of attacks were found out to be from outsiders. This means that over 29 percent of the attacks were done by people within the network. Thus, it is difficult to protect your systems from this segment. 50 percent of the attacks traced their origins back to organized criminal gangs.
Silly Costly Mistakes
Criminal organizations or disgruntled employees were not always able to attack directly. 17 percent of the times, a security leak was created by the errors of the employees. These errors consisted of failure to properly dispose confidential data, misplacement of email addresses, and mishandling of the organization’s IT infrastructure.
Many of these mistakes were regular human errors; however, they provided cyber criminals with opportunities to infiltrate systems with ransomware. Furthermore, one of the most common mistakes was found to be falling into the traps of phishing campaigns. 4 percent of users were found to be clicking on phishing campaigns.
Verizon’s report has stated eye-opening facts regarding ransomware removal. People need to be aware of these attacks and carry out protective measures.
