Ransomware is now the most prominent cyber threat faced by businesses and individuals. In 2021, 68.5% of the businesses were affected by ransomware. These figures were the highest in the past three years. As the attacks are just surfacing, 2025 will surely see a rise in ransomware attacks. As we all are approaching 2025, there has been a surge in attacks by 1000%. Ransomware upsurged during the pandemic as businesses shifted to work-from-home models. To stay ahead of ransomware threats, end-users can invest in threat hunting Solutions.
Ransomware is evolving fast. Period.
In 2021 ransomware heavily attacked the IT & education industries as they had enough data to entice the ransomware gangs.
Threats will grow exponentially, and we have to be ready with our battle shields to combat it. But how can we fight them without knowing their background?
Ransomware is a prominent issue now, but there is progress in protection against them. In this “how to stop ransomware attacks” guide, we will explain how ransomware will evolve in 2025 and how you can guard yourself against the impending danger.
It is a type of cyberattack where the attacker encrypts the victim’s file, causing the system to lock down, after which the attacker demands a ransom payment to restore access.
Organizations and individuals are the common targets who if attacked can face significant disruption and potential data loss.
Over the last years, ransomware didn’t only grow in frequency but also in the ways they are attacking. As this year is coming to an end, it’s time that we take a look at how it will be evolving to be a threat in 2025. Ransomware will surely become more aggressive and widespread as it will leverage and target mobile and IoT devices. In October 2021, the Microsoft digital defense report stated that ransomware attacks had evolved themselves into human-operated ransomware.
It can’t get any scarier, right?
Here are a few predictions for 2025 that will surely help you to stay one step ahead of cybercriminals.
The ransomware technology has evolved into a service-based model which allows cybercriminals to attack without specializing code to gain profit from ransomware. This new business model for Raas has invited people from non-technical backgrounds. If you are wondering what on earth is now Raas, then let us throw some light on it.
It is a service that is established within the industry where the operator will lease out their malware creation to other people for a considerable amount. Well, considering its lucrative nature, without a doubt, it is going to be one of the major threats that will totally flourish in 2025.
Double extortion is also a business model that has evolved into an effective intelligence operation. In this, the cybercriminals carefully research through the victim’s organization to acquire an optimal ransom demand. Before taking a step in the process, they take an extra initial step made by the criminals to penetrate the victim’s network to extract the financial documents and insurance policies. They also look for any legal penalties for breaches that may affect the organization’s reputation. After evaluating everything, the cybercriminals formulate a ransom demand to deploy the ransomware. The extortion demand will not only include the amount to unlock their system but also to prevent a data leak. This is known as double extortion.
While discussing the new threats ransomware has posed, it will be completely wrong if we don’t talk about ransomware’s new target cloud SaaS. It is no surprise that it has always targeted the organization’s data, but cloud SaaS ransomware is evolving and will surely become a major threat in the coming years. There are different variants that use phishing emails, scams to lure innocent users. However, now these variants have evolved to use OAuth authorization scams to fool the users into installing a legitimate cloud SaaS which actually is ransomware.
These are some ways to stay safe from ransomware attacks.
Firewall acts as a secure host that acts as a barrier between the external and internal networks. It is easy to set up a firewall system to prevent outside attacks.
Proactive Threat hunting solutions can protect your organization against ransomware as it searches for cyber threats deep down that might be present in your network.
In the absence of a strong password, attackers can easily get into your personal account and make their way into the system. Further, they won’t take a second to access more information.
Backups are extremely important as they can help to bypass the ransom demand by restoring all the data from a source other than the encrypted files.
With vulnerabilities in the system, malicious actors can exploit the system. You can ensure that your system is fully protected by taking a vulnerability assessment.
Educate employees about the associated risks and what steps they can take to recognize and avoid potential threats like identifying phishing emails, using strong passwords, and reporting suspicious activity.
Organizations can easily mitigate the risks, all that needs to be done is create awareness and vigilance.
Includes securing devices connecting to your network like computers, tablets & smartphones using strong antivirus software, firewalls & automatic updates, to avoid vulnerability exploitation & it’s spread through the network.
Open or download attachments from your email with caution, as some files can be disguised as legitimate documents. Always verify the sender’s identity, Do not open attachments you find to be fishy & always scan the files using an antivirus software before downloading them.
Give permissions sufficient enough for the employees to perform their job functions. You can decrease the potential damage by restricting access to sensitive files and systems if, by chance, your account gets compromised, while avoiding its spread and execution on higher-level accounts.
Involves creating a detailed strategy on how your organization will react in case of a security breach. This includes well defined roles and responsibilities, communication protocols and steps to mitigate attacks.
This will allow you to react, minimize and recover from damages pretty swiftly.
This is basically done to stop the entire network from being affected.
Networks are divided into smaller & isolated segments stopping the threats from spreading & stealing your sensitive data.
Secure your environment by only allowing trusted & safe applications, softwares to run into your system and block everything else to prevent unauthorized programs from executing.
Evaluating your system’s defense mechanism using techniques such as vulnerability scans, penetration testing, and security audits will allow you to identify weaknesses and vulnerabilities before an attacker can take advantage of them.
This includes encryption of your internet connection by using a VPN (Virtual private network) while connected to public or unsecured Wi-Fi networks and stopping interception of data from the cybercriminals who might be monitoring the network.
Consider having cyber insurance, which will help you in case you face financial losses & support in your recovery efforts.
Effectively preparing your organization against the threat of ransomware requires proactive measures. Taking important steps like vulnerability assessment, threat hunting solutions from a company providing.
Our cybersecurity service can remediate the cyber threats and enhance your security posture. However, spreading awareness among your staff goes a long way to stay on top of this dynamic threat landscape.
