Ransomware is a top threat to businesses today and occurs without warning, often with a ransom demand appearing on the screen. Hackers hold files or items hostage, usually by encrypting files of threatening permanent deletion, until payment or another condition is met. No industry or type of business is immune, and protecting your business from ransomware requires a proactive and layered approach. According to Sophos' "State of Ransomware" report, in 2021:
- The average ransom paid by mid-size organizations was $170,404
- The average bill for rectifying a ransomware attack was $1.85 million
- 37% of organizations were hit with ransomware within the last year
- Extortion style ransomware attacks have doubled year-over-year