Today’s ransom notes rarely appear in physical mailboxes with type cut from magazines. Instead, they often take the form of ransomware, or a type of malware that threatens to take action against a victim—often, blocking access to a key platform, website, or service via encryption—until a ransom is paid.
Globally, these attacks are on the rise. In 2022, the UK had the third-highest number of ransomware attacks in the world, surpassed only by the U.S. and Canada. In 2023, damages from ransomware events are projected to cost around £26 billion globally.
Nobody is immune from these attacks—they can target governments, infrastructure organisations, large corporations, small companies, or individuals. Perhaps surprisingly, small businesses accounted for almost two-thirds (62%) of such attacks between January 2020 and July 2022. The industries most commonly affected during that time frame included business services, education, construction, transportation, and manufacturing.
Thankfully, there are a few preventative measures you can take to protect yourself or your company from ransomware, including investing in comprehensive cybersecurity software from a trusted company like Bitdefender.
Below, we dig into steps you can take to avoid become hostage to such attempts.
Be sure you have updated security software for all your email accounts, across all devices
One of the best and easiest ways to protect against ransomware is to ensure that you have up-to-date antivirus software that can do the heavy lifting when it comes to identifying and blocking ransomware attempts. If you’re a small business owner or IT technician, it’s a good idea to ensure that all your employees and any freelancers with access to sensitive company data have such software installed on both their computers and any mobile devices they use to conduct business.
Develop an identity management strategy for your small business
Identity management (sometimes called IAM or IdM) is an increasingly important element of running a business, particularly as companies continue to move their operations online, to the cloud, to hybrid offices, and even to immersive environments like the metaverse. Effective IAM means you have a system in place to ensure your employees are who they say they are when you’re engaging with them online or in remote settings—as well as when they’re interacting with customers.
Be diligent about the links you click
In order for a hacker to orchestrate a ransomware attack, they must first somehow get into your device via malware or discern your login information so they can hold your data hostage. Phishing is one of the main tactics hackers use to do this.
With phishing scams becoming increasingly sophisticated, it can be difficult to identify suspicious links—but there are a few clear signs. For one, the sender’s address may appear “off,” misspelt, or come from a public domain (although this is not always the case; advanced hackers know how to make an email look as if it’s coming from a legitimate address). Be extra careful about emails in which you’re BCC’d instead of a direct recipient. And any message from an unknown sender that creates a sense of urgency (“It’s critical that you take a look at the attached document today!”) should also be approached with caution.
Ransomware can also enter your device through email attachments, so it’s important to be vigilant about opening anything that looks even the slightest bit unusual.
Never use an unknown USB drive or download software from unverified sites
A common tactic by some hackers is to leave a USB drive that contains malware in a public place—or sneak one into a common area of a workplace. If you regularly use USB drives for work, be sure you keep them in a safe and secure place, and never use a USB drive that you find randomly in public. Put stickers on your drives, or mark them in a way that’s clearly identifiable.
Similarly, you should never download software or apps from a site that doesn’t contain an “https” in its URL; be sure you only rely on verified or trusted sites when downloading anything off the internet, or official app marketplaces when downloading applications on mobile devices.
Want to ensure you’re protected against ransomware? Check out Bitdefender’s website to browse their software suites for both businesses and individuals.
