CISA Campaign Aims to Reduce the Risk of Ransomware

A recent post from Gartner notes that 27 percent of 2020 malware incidents can be attributed to ransomware. Meanwhile, a report from SonicWall says there were 3.2 billion malware attacks in the first half of 2020. The math is pretty simple. If either of these stats is even close to accurate, we’re talking more than 800 million ransomware attacks in 2020.

These growing threats have led the US Security and Infrastructure Agency (CISA) to launch a public awareness campaign titled, aptly enough, Reduce the Risk of Ransomware.

As part of the campaign, CISA has committed to working with organizations at every level to help them protect their networks from ransomware. The campaign will have a primary focus on supporting COVID-19 response organizations and K-12 schools. The campaign’s goal is to raise awareness about the importance of combating ransomware as one element of an organization’s cybersecurity and data protection best practices.

The agency has also created a valuable new, one-stop information site, https://www.cisa.gov/ransomware where you’ll find resources that include:

• Alerts and official statements geared toward system admins and other technical staff members to keep them up-to-date on how to strengthen their security posture
• Guides and services with tips and best practices for home users and organizations for fending off ransomware
• Fact sheets and infographics that include easily understood information for helping individuals and organizations better understand ransomware threats and consequences
• Trainings and webinars for technical and non-technical audiences

With ransomware attacks expected to continue to rise, StorageCraft strongly supports CISA’s efforts to educate and inform organizations about ransomware and what they can do about it. If you’d like to learn more about how StorageCraft can help you in that regard, set up a demo with a StorageCraft ransomware recovery expert engineer today.