A Quick Look At Ransomware

Using IT services in Dallas is one of the best ways to protect your business from ransomware; but what is it, and what motivates those who design such malware? Ransomware uses military-level encryptions to restrict your access to data unless you pay the associated fee. Those who use this malware do so to steal money and information as it suits their purposes.

Why Hackers Target Small Businesses and Hospitals

Your business needs more robust security overall, and you need to know what modern cybercrime which utilizes ransomware as a vector looks like. Keep in mind, cybercriminals are savvy enough to continuously “move the goalposts”, as the saying goes.

For example, ransomware hackers prefer companies that have high cyber insurance premiums. Then they get paid by the insurance companies rather than your business. It’s all the same to them, but statistically, they’re more likely to win from an insurance company than the small business said company represents.

To that end, you can expect massively inflated sums to be demanded from ransomware hackers; especially if you’re a U.S. client with high cyber insurance. However, U.S. security tends to be better than most other countries, so you can expect better security here as well.

If you’re a healthcare institution, though, you will likely end up either paying or being denied by cyber insurance companies owing to your Hippocratic prerogative to “do no harm”. If your systems go down, people die; lives are worth more than money. Accordingly, cybercriminals disproportionately target medical businesses. Some stats say 80% to 90% of healthcare businesses pay ransoms owing to necessity. Compounding the issue, and in further recommendation of your business securing IT services in Dallas, is the reality about where hacks come from.

The Russian Angle

In large part, ransomware attacks tend to be centered in and around Russia. The country represents a hacker haven owing to infrastructural difficulties defining their economy, and the primary targets of hackers–which tend to be in opposition to Russian interests. Accordingly, such attacks are ruthless. Russian hackers take no quarter, and don’t bat an eye at targeting healthcare institutions.

Things to Consider

So think about these realities as you determine the security you need to secure:

• Cybercriminals are ruthless
• Small businesses are prime targets
• Medical Businesses Are Prime Targets
• Insurance Payouts Encourage, Rather Than Discourage, Ransomware

Finding Security Options

Our IT services team in Dallas can help you secure your business, whether it’s large, it’s small, or you’re centered in healthcare. We can put protections in place, help you train employees, and design less vulnerable IT infrastructure. Get in touch with us at Technagy for more information.