Ransomware remains the biggest challenge of cybersecurity

60% of organizations were hit with ransomware in the last year, according to Sophos Status Report on Ransomware 2022 [subscription required]. With attacks increasing in number and complexity, and ransom payments on the rise, the cybersecurity catch-up game continues to ramp up. When the harmful agents continue exploit and weaponize vulnerabilities faster than ever, Lindy Cameron, CEO of the UK’s National Cyber ​​Security Center (NCSC) notes that ransomware remains the biggest cybersecurity challenge.

In CyberWeek 2022The 12th edition of Israel’s largest cybersecurity event, to be held in Tel Aviv, Cameron said while it appears more complexity has been put into increased security for organizations, Cameron said. Organizations and countries in recent years, all must join hands to eradicate ransomware.

“Ransomware attacks hit hard and fast and they are growing rapidly. They are contagious [and] Cameron says:

Like Russia-Ukraine the war continues to raged, cyber attackers deployed ransomware on a number of occasions to serve as a “decoy or distraction” when they targeted organizations in Ukraine. In his speech, Cameron acknowledged the impact not only of physical attacks but also of cyber attacks.

“The geopolitical landscape is changing [has] has transformed the landscape for work in the cybersecurity space,” she said, acknowledging the impact of the Russia-Ukraine war on the changing face of cybersecurity. “While Russia is facing this physical oppression, waging a cyber campaign – which should come as no surprise – Russia has repeatedly used cyber coercion to put stress on its adversaries. me”.

Collective responsibility and collaboration

To help quell the ransomware attack, Cameron has called for increased cooperation between organisations, tech companies, governments and its agencies. She reiterated that “if we want to maintain a cyberspace that is a safe and prosperous place for all, it is important that such capabilities be produced and used in a lawful manner.” , responsible and proportionate”.

Continuing to mark the cadence for collaborations and partnerships, Cameron said work must continue in the area of ​​understanding the scale, nature and evolution of the techniques being used to make ransomware a business. unprofitable and unattractive business.

However, her speech was not all bleak and negative, as she praised Israel’s technological spirit. According to Cameron, the world’s democracies must challenge themselves to develop technologies and systems that help them avoid depending on some product that doesn’t align with their values.

“Start-up nation Israel can play an important role in this innovation in the years to come. The technology is developed truly world-class, the talent in cybersecurity is second to none, and the defenses are among the strongest in the world. But making the most of our digital future is a problem too big for any country to tackle alone. Whether it is feed irrigation technology or healthy climate technology, Israel has always struggled to innovate for the benefit of people beyond its borders.”

Cameron is optimistic that Israel will continue to produce safe, robust and affordable cybersecurity solutions for the entire world.

Cybersecurity goes beyond nation and war

Businesses are not left out in the battle against ransomware. While countries are often drawn into the mix, ransomware’s primary targets are corporate operators. Recently, IBM X-Force examined more than 150 ransomware interactions over the past three years and found that there was a decline in the time span of ransomware attacks on businesses, specifically the overall time between initial hits and ransom requests.

Another trend in the enterprise space is the rise of the primary access broker economy (with “initial access brokers” being hackers who specialize in infiltrating businesses and then selling their access rights). access it to cyber attackers) and ransomware-as-a-service (RaaS), both of which reduce or completely eliminate the barrier to entry for ransomware use. The RaaS industry has become more mature with increasing agility, ensuring that business leaders cannot keep up with the rate at which attacks occur.

Besides the need to adopt a trustless architecture approach, Cameron noted that strong international policies by the government are needed.

“An important part of our response to this issue as an international community is the issue of thicker enforcement between the rules governing activities. If we are to ensure that the digital world remains a place of opportunity and to avoid conflict and struggle, we must be more clear about principles and norms that go beyond national borders.”

Cameron concluded his session by reiterating that the NCSC is working with partner agencies and organizations to ensure that a society where cyberattacks can be repelled, adding that “ Cybersecurity is second nature to all of us.”