Heading to RSAC 2024? Stop by booth N-6553 in the North Expo Hall or book a meeting with our executive team!
Cybereason, the leader in operation-centric attack protection, today published a global study of 1,200+ security professionals at organizations that have previously suffered a successful ransomware attack on a holiday or weekend. The study highlights the disconnect between organizational risk and preparedness.
The report, titled Organizations at Risk: Ransomware Attackers Don’t Take Holidays, found that the vast majority of security professionals expressed high concern about imminent ransomware attacks, yet nearly half felt they do not have the right tools in place to manage it. In addition, nearly a quarter (24%) still do not have specific contingencies in place to assure a prompt response during weekend and holiday periods despite having already been the victim of a ransomware attack.
The findings highlight a disconnect between the risk ransomware poses to organizations during these off-hour periods and their preparedness to respond moving into the holiday season.
Organizational Impact
The lack of preparedness for ransomware attacks on weekends and holidays has a significant impact on victim organizations, with 60% of respondents saying it resulted in longer periods to assess the scope of an attack, 50% reporting they required more time to mount an effective response, 33% indicating they required a longer period to fully recover from the attack. This research validates the assumption that it takes longer to assess, mitigate, remediate and recover from a ransomware attack over a holiday or weekend.
Technology Issues
Another indicator of the disconnect between the perceived risk and preparedness includes the fact that although 89% said they are concerned about attacks during weekend and holiday periods, 49% said the ransomware attack against their organization was successful because they did not have the right security solutions in place. Just 67% of organizations had a NextGen Antivirus (NGAV) solution deployed at the time of the attack, 46% had a traditional signature-based antivirus (AV) in place, and only 36% had an Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR) solution in place.
The Human Element
On the human side of the equation, 86% of respondents indicated they have missed a holiday or weekend activity because of a ransomware attack, a situation that can factor into employee job satisfaction and potential burnout.
One surprising finding in the study included 70% of respondents confessing that they have been intoxicated while responding to a ransomware attack during a weekend or holiday, a risk factor that many organizations may not have accounted for in their incident response planning.
Retail and Transportation: Industries at Risk
As we enter the holiday season, the Retail and Transportation sectors present high-value targets for ransomware attackers given the potential for disruption and lost revenue that increase incentives for victims to pay higher ransom demands.
Key findings for these sectors include nearly 70% in both Retail and Transportation who said previous ransomware attack was successful because they did not have the right security solutions in place and 24% who said their organizations still do not have a specific contingency plan to address the risk from weekend and holiday attacks despite previously having been a victim.
“Ransomware attackers don’t take time off for holidays. The most disruptive ransomware attacks in 2021 have occurred over weekends and during major holidays when attackers know they have the advantage over targeted organizations,” said Chief Executive Officer and Co-founder of Cybereason, Lior Div. “This research proves out the fact that organizations are not adequately prepared and need to take additional steps to assure they have the right people, processes and technologies in place so they can effectively respond to ransomware attacks and protect their critical assets.”
The full report can be obtained here: Organizations at Risk: Ransomware Attackers Don’t Take Holidays. Cybereason is dedicated to teaming with defenders to end ransomware attacks on the endpoint, across the enterprise, to everywhere the battle is taking place. Learn more about ransomware defense here or schedule a demo today to learn how your organization can benefit from an operation-centric approach to security.
About Cybereason Cybereason is the champion for today’s cyber defenders, providing operation-centric attack protection that unifies security from the endpoint, to the enterprise, to everywhere the battle moves. The Cybereason Defense Platform combines the industry’s top-rated AI-powered detection and response (EDR and XDR), next-gen antivirus (NGAV), Anti-Ransomware Protection and Proactive Threat Hunting to deliver context-rich analysis of every stage of a MalOp™ (malicious operation). Cybereason is a privately held, international company headquartered in Boston with customers in more than 40 countries.
Media Contact:
Bill Keeler
Senior Director, Global Public Relations
Cybereason
bill.keeler@cybereason.com
(929) 259-3261