Why are ransomware attacks increasing?

In today’s episode of IT in Plain English, Tammy Ven Dange answers, “Why are ransomware attacks increasing?“

Ransomware is malicious software that has been added to a system to block your access. The baddies will usually demand money to either restore your access or to return your data that has already been compromised.

According to the Insikt Group tracking Ransomware Trends in Australia – on average, there have been 6 reported ransomware attacks per month from 2021 to 2022.

Why are ransomware attacks increasing?

There are 3 major reasons:

1. Ransomware is offered as a 3^rd party software service on the dark web. So, you no longer have to be a software programmer to deploy it these days.
2. Organisations are more dependent on technology than ever, and if their IT operating budgets are not keeping up with the requirements, their infrastructure is easier to exploit.
3. The advent of cryptocurrency has enabled the easier transfer of large sums of money to anonymous accounts.

To minimise your risks of being a victim of a ransomware attack, what should you do?

While this is not a complete list, here are a few simple things:

• Invest in regular training for your staff and volunteers, as most attackers gain access via a known user in the organisation, usually accidentally.
• Make sure your organisation has full backups in place for all of your systems and data.
• Ensure that your devices are on the Windows 10 or 11 operating system and have enabled automatic security updates.
• And finally, ensure all your systems require multi-authentication verification. This is especially important for any of your admin accounts.

So, there you have it in plain English.

If you have an IT question you want answered, feel free to connect with me here on my website or on LinkedIn and send me a message. I just might answer it on this show.

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Tammy Ven Dange is a former charity CEO, Not for Profit Board Member and IT Executive. Today she helps NFPs with strategic IT and data decisions.