
2021 Ransomware Defense Report
Our report breaks down the frequency of ransomware attacks on organizations of all sizes, insights on ransomware preparedness measures, and details on the criminal economy that’s fueling ransomware right now.
Ransomware has reached crisis levels across business sectors and across the globe. These insidious attacks can be executed in under 20 minutes; all criminals need is your password.
For criminals, obtaining stolen credentials creates an easy path to penetrating your network and bringing business to a halt. By identifying compromised user accounts – both in your network as well as your partner networks – and locking them down early, SpyCloud helps you get in front of a ransomware threat and stay proactive, avoiding financial impact and damage to your brand reputation.
Ransomware is malicious software that encrypts and deletes files unless a large ransom is paid. Most often, it is a follow-on attack from another, more ubiquitous problem known as Account Takeover (ATO).
In a typical scenario, the ransomware operator obtains stolen credentials through a middleman known as an Initial Access Broker (IAB) – a group that specializes in infiltrating targets and then selling access to the operator for a portion of the ransom. Getting ahead of these attacks means you need to thwart IABs, and that requires addressing the most common attack vector – the use of stolen credentials.
Preventing ransomware is possible by addressing ATO and remediating its root cause: credentials that have been exposed through data breaches and malware infections.
Without the visibility SpyCloud provides, we would have been at a very big risk of compromise.
Remediating compromised credentials for users in your network renders them useless to criminals. Last year alone, SpyCloud recaptured 1.7 billion stolen credentials from data breaches and botnet logs, adding to our database of over 25 billion passwords alone.
SpyCloud helps enterprises stay ahead of criminals by recovering exposed credentials early in the breach timeline, before targeted ATO attacks such as ransomware typically begin.
SpyCloud’s recovery efforts also include infected user records, which contain data siphoned from malware installed on a user’s device. This malware is notoriously difficult to detect because it allows criminals to impersonate that user by recording every facet of their online activity – including their browser fingerprint, system information, and account logins.
When SpyCloud HUMINT researchers are able to recover these logs, we parse out the infected victim’s username, URL, and password in order to help organizations protect themselves before criminals can leverage their stolen data for ransomware.
As the SolarWinds attack of 2020 proved, if a criminal compromises a third party with privileged access to your data or network, they’re only one step away from compromising your entire organization. Criminals are realizing that one of the best ways to penetrate a business is to attack the supply chain. Without proper visibility, ransomware can sneak into your business via a legitimate-looking communication from a trusted partner.
With continuous monitoring of your partner’s breach exposures, SpyCloud helps you identify third-party risks to your enterprise quickly. When a new data breach compromises credentials tied to one of your partner companies, SpyCloud alerts you to the change and makes it easy for you to share details with the affected third party.
Organizations hit with ransomware have a choice – to pay or not to pay. While the FBI has repeatedly warned against paying the ransom, some businesses find that not paying may cost them more in loss of data, brand reputation, and loss of customer trust. Whether organizations pay or not, they inevitably face a costly and time-consuming recovery and remediation process.
In comparison, when SpyCloud alerts you that an employee’s account is compromised, it takes relatively little effort to force a password reset. The effort and cost of recovery from ransomware (not to mention the negative media attention) far outweigh the effort and cost associated with proactive ATO prevention.
Successfully defending against ransomware starts by knowing what the infection needs to spread. We know that stolen credentials – obtained through breaches and malware-infected devices – are a criminal’s all-access pass to your systems. By alerting security teams swiftly when employee credentials become available to criminals, SpyCloud prevents ATO that can facilitate ransomware and other orchestrated attacks.
Emphasizing ATO prevention allows businesses to stay proactive in the face of new and emerging threats, at scale, without disruption, and with peace of mind.
Don’t Be Paralyzed by Ransomware. ATO Prevention Blocks the Attacks You Don’t See Until It’s Too Late.
Our report breaks down the frequency of ransomware attacks on organizations of all sizes, insights on ransomware preparedness measures, and details on the criminal economy that’s fueling ransomware right now.
On-Demand Webinar: We break down the ransomware ecosystem, adversary groups’ latest tactics, and strategies to mitigate your risk and avoid paying millions to ransomware gangs.
Account takeover can be highly-targeted, sophisticated, and manual, or it can be high-volume and automated. Learn how to protect your enterprise from both types of ATO.
Get ahead of ransomware attacks with SpyCloud.
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