In 2021, businesses were still fighting COVID, struggling to come back from the shut downs and trying to ward off hackers. Unfortunately, cyber criminals just couldn’t give business owners a break as they used the global pandemic to their advantage. Ransomware attacks were up and the nation saw one breach after another being reported like the T-Mobile hack and the Colonial Pipeline attack.
Here’s what we learned about cybersecurity in 2021:
#1: Ransomware doesn’t look like it’s slowing down as it hits record high.
Within the first six months of 2021, ransomware attacks were up 151% compared to 2020 and the FBI reported there are 100 strains circulating the world. The pandemic helped fuel this increase due to employees working remotely with little to no security protections in place.
Last year’s cyber protection simply isn’t enough. Every organization should have a multi-layered security strategy in place with the latest business-grade technology.
#2: The ransom is NOT the priciest part of a ransomware attack.
While ransoms are pricey, the most expensive results from a ransomware attack which includes: the downtime businesses incur, litigation costs, regulatory fines and the damage to your reputation. In 2021, we’ve seen hospitals turn away patients, government services shut down and an entire region of the country go into total chaos over gasoline.
To combat a ransomware attack, businesses must have a tested backup and disaster recovery plan, as well as an incident response plan. This reduces downtime and the resources needed to remediate a security incident.
#3: Employees are the weak link in your cybersecurity strategy.
It's been known that employee errors account for 90% of data breaches, but we didn’t realize the true impact one person could have. Just one employee can take down an entire company and create chaos throughout a nation.
While some organizations have regulatory compliance requirements to provide cybersecurity awareness training, we believe it needs to be a part of every company’s cybersecurity preparedness. In 2022, it’s important to provide ongoing training that teaches password best practices, how to spot phishing emails and other cybersecurity prevention.
Prepare for a Safer 2022.
If you haven’t done so already, 2022 is the year to get your cybersecurity strategy in place. It needs to include a well-thought out defense-in-depth architecture, disaster recovery plan and ongoing cybersecurity awareness training for your employees.
Krantz Secure Technologies can help with your technology and security needs. Contact us today!
Phone: 212-286-0325
Email: sales@krantzsecure.com
Resources: https://www.itproportal.com/features/five-cybersecurity-lessons-learned-in-2021/
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