The evolution of ransomware
Ransomware. The very word strikes fear into CISOs, security teams, and business leaders everywhere. An encounter with ransomware could be an extinction event for many organizations, particularly those that have not adequately prepared for such an encounter. The thought of critical data being encrypted or destroyed and the necessity of paying a lofty ransom to get access to the data again from criminals isn’t how security teams or the businesses they support typically want to spend their time.
Figure 4.22 illustrates that the ER for ransomware was typically the lowest of any category of malware over a period of years. Figure 4.23 shows us that the ER for ransomware was a fraction of 1% quarter after quarter between 2014 and 2016. Was it just a slow time for purveyors of ransomware? What about some of the headlines I’ve seen over the years, such as, “1,000% Increase in Ransomware”? This headline could be true because a 1,000...
