Along with the rapid growth of organizations, the need for data storage has risen. In the modern age, migrating data to the cloud has increased but so is the risk of ransomware. According to a most recent report, ransomware is attracted to security flaws in the cloud.

The current need for companies is to enhance their cloud security to an extent where the chances of ransomware attacks gradually decrease. However, before we dig deep into the report and elaborate on the findings. It’s best to know a bit about ransomware.

What is Ransomware?

Ransomware can be best defined as damaging software that affects the computer or cloud, restricting users to access the data present. The only way to regain access to the data is by paying a ransom. Ransomware has been preserved for years and has made numerous organizations its prey.

This software demands money by showing an alert on the screen that the organizations are forced to pay ransom to keep their data safe and re-access it. Ransomware can not only compromise the confidentiality of employees and customers of a company but can also hinder the reputation of the organization itself.

The Veritas Report:

According to the Veritas report, the reason for increased risks of ransomware is caused due to the widespread digital transformation during the pandemic of Covid-19. At the time of the pandemic people who were not familiar with technology were also using it. Thus leading to the accelerated use of technology.

Ransomware attacks also increased during this period, as more and more users who were not aware of such risks were using digital platforms. It created an opening for ransomware peddlers to enter the market and take advantage of the scenario.

Veritas Technologies conducted a survey of more than 2 thousand IT organizations all over the globe. These organizations had undergone an exponential increase in digital transformation because of the pandemic. The study found that these organizations are vulnerable to ransomware risks, as they were unable to keep pace with the exponential increase in digital transformation.

Veritas Technology estimates that the organizations would have to spend an average amount of $2.47 million on their technology strategy for one year in order to close the technology gap. The report also states that the average number of ransomware attacks faced by organizations was three. However, 10% of the companies experienced more than three attacks in the past year.

The only way to prevent this threat is by improving cloud security and considering that ransomware reaches the cloud through websites. Therefore, the need for improving ecommerce website security significantly exists.

Ways to Avoid Ransomware Attacks:

As we know that ransomware attacks have increased, causing many organizations to suffer and pay unjust ransom for accessing their data. Here are some ways that can help you avoid ransomware attacks on your organization in the near future.

A Secured IT Infrastructure:

There is nothing more important than strengthening the security of your IT infrastructure, as it is the best approach for avoiding ransomware attacks. You can secure your IT infrastructure by using a strong Intrusion Prevention System (IPS) with a high-performing firewall and sandboxing support.

It is important to make necessary changes along with finding alternative ways for accessing data. Over time, you also need to improve ecommerce website security, and monitoring your IT infrastructure 24/7/365 is the best prevention for ransomware attacks.

Monitoring your IT infrastructure will allow you to get familiar with the regular pattern, so if something unusual takes place it would be easier to notice.

Implementation of Ransomware Protection Software:

There is no sure way to stop ransomware attacks and organizations are not immune to such attacks. Therefore, the best course of action would be to implement ransomware protection software. This software familiarizes the regular behavior of the user and can identify if such behavior takes place before it does any irreversible damage. These systems improve ecommerce website security by backing up your files as soon as any ransomware activity is detected.

Regular Updates and System Fixes:

Updating your operating system regularly is an effective way to avoid ransomware risks. You can also use security features that tech giants such as Microsoft introduce now and then to increase security and prevent ransomware attacks. Windows offers timely updates and if you are using the supported windows, it would be best to make sure that the updates are turned on.

Frequent Backups:

If a file gets encrypted, there is almost no hope of recovering it without paying a ransom. However, making frequent backups to the cloud as well as the physical drive can reduce the chances of you not being able to access your data. Ensuring that your firewall is robust is an excellent way to make sure that your backed-up files are not reachable by an external source.

Conclusion:

Ransomware can harm your business financially as well as the integrity of your business. Both of these losses are unboreable for any organization and with the rapid increase of digital transformation, ransomware has increased as well. Therefore, taking steps to improve cloud security along with ecommerce website security is crucial.

The ways mentioned earlier can help your business reduce the chances of ransomware attacks in the future. According to the Veritas report, many organizations have already suffered from these increased attacks and the risks of ransomware are more than ever before.