As the holiday season approaches, cybersecurity risks increase, posing significant threats to businesses large and small. To help organizations prepare, Decoded is offering a free cybersecurity workshop, focusing on ransomware risks that spike during this busy time of year. With strategies to prevent attacks and guidance on staying vigilant, this workshop is designed to help safeguard your business against cyber threats this holiday season.
We don’t want to sound like the Grinch and put a damper on the holiday season, but for cybercriminals the holiday season truly is “the most wonderful time of year”. Just because you may be taking a break, don’t think for a second that they will be too.
It’s become an annual occurrence. Every year, pre-Thanksgiving up, through the Christmas period, the volume of cyber attacks increases, most notably ransomware.
Ransomware is a type of malicious software program, otherwise known as malware, that denies the victims access to their files or systems. It holds the victims’ files or devices hostage using strong encryption, or threatens to leak personal data, until the victim pays a ransom.
Research shows there was a 30% increase in the average number of attempted ransomware attacks during the holiday season in each consecutive year between 2018 and 2020, and a 70% average increase in attempted ransomware attacks in November and December compared to January and February.
All of this makes perfect sense as cyber-attacks are most effective when users are distracted and less vigilant. Email continues to be the primary delivery mechanism used by cybercriminals to deliver their malware creations, so it’s not hard to see how the average person could fall for a phishing attack over the holidays when they are inundated with “Merry Christmas” emails or a plethora of enticing seasonal discount offers.
Compound that with most employees taking extended time off during this time period, and you have the makings of a perfect storm. Even if an attack is caught relatively soon, many of the people in charge of dealing with it are potentially traveling to see loved ones across the country, frantically trying to find last minute gifts, or at the very least harder to get ahold of than they would be on an average Wednesday.
The US Government has now begun issuing warnings at the end of the year urging businesses to stay vigilant and protect themselves from ransomware over the holiday period.
“malicious cyber actors aren’t making the same holiday plans as you. Recent history tells us that this could be a time when these persistent cyber actors halfway across the world are looking for ways—big and small—to disrupt the critical networks and systems belonging to organizations, businesses, and critical infrastructure. “ CISA and the FBI said.
The agencies have outlined several key steps organizations can take to minimize the risk of an attack, these include:
– Identifying key IT security staff who could handle a surge in work after a ransomware attack;
– Implementing multi-factor authentication for remote access and administrative accounts;
– Enforcing strong passwords and avoiding password reuse;
– Ensuring Remote Desk Protocol is secure and monitored;
– Reminding employees not to click on suspicious links.
It’s vital to remember that even though it’s a holiday, it doesn’t mean you can let your guard down. Expect to be targeted and plan accordingly.
At Decoded, we believe that by better understanding the methods, processes, and lengths to which cybercriminals apply themselves, you’ll be better placed to defend against them. This is why we’ve developed “Held to Ransomware,” a free cybersecurity workshop specifically designed to unwrap and demystify ransomware threats.
Our free cybersecurity workshop puts you in the shoes of a cybercriminal to explore ransomware and the murky underbelly of the dark web. This interactive, 1-hour session allows participants to go “under the hood” to see firsthand how readily available ransomware can be purchased on the dark web, deployed with ease, and then released at scale to wreak havoc throughout an organization’s technology infrastructure.
To help prevent a blue, blue Christmas, we’re offering two virtual workshops on December 4th at 14.30-15.30 and 17.30-18.30 GMT. Join us to protect your organization during the holiday season and beyond.
If you’d like to attend, please click to register on the links below:
Session 1: 14.30-15.30 GMT
Session 2: 17.30-18.30 GMT
To find out more about Decoded; how we partner with organizations from the Boardroom to the shop floor transforming their digital capabilities; or how our programs could help you with your digital transformation, please email me at patrick@decoded.com
If you’d like to learn more about Decoded and how we can help transform your
organisation, we’d love to hear from you.
