What portion of ransomware attacks are targeted vs. opportunistic?
Ransomware attacks are becoming significantly common, with a wide variety of services and organizations coming down with these data-encrypting malware attacks. While some ransomware attacks are highly targeted and thoroughly planned by cybercriminals, others are more opportunistic in nature. What portion of ransomware attacks are targeted vs. opportunistic?
According to a recent report from Symantec, around 1 in 5 ransomware attacks are targeted, while the staying 4 out of 5 are opportunistic. https://thumbpower.org/?p=653 This indicates that while a little minority of ransomware attacks are performed versus specific organizations or individuals, the large majority are random attacks that take advantage of vulnerabilities in systems and networks.
Targeted ransomware attacks are typically much more damaging than opportunistic attacks, as they are often brought out by more sophisticated and knowledgeable cybercriminals. Additionally, targeted attacks are frequently harder to prevent, as they are often personalized to exploit particular weak points in a target organization's systems.
While opportunistic ransomware attacks can be harmful, they are usually less costly and disruptive than targeted attacks. In addition, opportunistic attacks are typically more easily discovered and prevented, as they typically depend on known vulnerabilities that can be patched.
Organizations and people can assist protect themselves from both targeted and opportunistic ransomware attacks by staying up to date on security patches, using strong security software, and backing up information routinely.