A holistic security strategy can cut risks of ransomware attacks

THINK ransomware is a little passé? A form of malware designed to block access to data until its hapless owners cough up, ransomware revelled in the news spotlight a couple of years ago, courtesy of some highly publicised international attacks.

Signs suggest that ransomware attacks will continue to be a threat in 2019 and beyond. Serious attacks are continuing to take place around the world - for example, one of the world's largest aluminium producers, is battling to contain a cyber attack that halted parts of its production, the latest example of the damage hackers can cause to business and industry. City government emergency, financial, and constituent services across the US were taken out with ransomware in March and April.

SMEs in Singapore could be a more appealing target for cyber attacks, compared to multinational corporations, because planning and resources are relatively lacking in these organisations. As such, Malwarebytes' research suggests that SMEs here are struggling to deal with ransomware.