INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
Ransomware continues to be the leading cyberattack method experienced by small-to-medium sized businesses (SMBs) according to new research
from Datto Inc.The firm surveyed 2,400 managed service providers (MSPs) that support the IT needs of nearly half a million SMBs
worldwide.Datto found that revenue lost to downtime can cripple a small business with the average attack being 10 times more costly to the
business than the ransom itself costing a business $46,800 on average and the ransom requesting around $4,300 per attack.Attacks are also
more frequent and are expected to increase
said their clients were attacked multiple times in the same day and 92 per cent of MSPs predict the number of attacks will continue at the
current rate or higher.Ransomware attacksDatto also discovered that antivirus software solutions are ineffective against ransomware with 85
per cent of MSPs reporting that ransomware victims had antivirus software installed on their devices
65 per cent of reported victims also had email and spam filters installed while 29 per cent reported victims had pop-up blockers that failed
to block ransomware attacks.Apple's devices are known for being less susceptible to cyberattacks but Datto's research highlighted the fact
that there was a fivefold increase in the number of MSPs reporting ransomware attacks on macOS and iOS platforms over the last year.Chief
Information Security Officer at Datto, Ryan Weeks explained that businesses must prepare for the eventuality of a ransomware attack,
That way they are equipped to respond when it happens
There are immediate steps that companies can and should take to increase IT resilience and prevent against future attacks
