Cybersecurity Insiders 2019 Malware Report

Learn what kinds of attacks organizations are experiencing and how they are handling these threats

Malware attacks on organizations have become so common that we often skim over the headlines. However, there is much to be learned from these attacks, including how to prevent them. In this report from Cybersecurity Insiders, sponsored by Fortra, respondents ranging from technical executives to managers and IT security practitioners from organizations of varying sizes across multiple industries answered questions to provide clarity on what kinds of attacks organizations are experiencing and how they are handling these threats, from prevention to recovery.

Ransomware in particular runs rampant, with 42% of respondents having experienced an attack. These ransomware attacks can cripple organizations by holding data hostage, sometimes threatening to release private data unless a sum is paid. The information most at risk from ransomware attacks is customer information (60%), tied with financial data (60%). Even when the attackers are paid off, many strains of ransomware don't actually restore data, requiring more money for remediation efforts. One of most notable ransomware strains recognized by security professionals, Petya (55%), often does not return files even after payment is made.

It is worrisome how easily ransomware can infiltrate an organization. The most common methods of infection were all through actions triggered by employees -- an email attachment (63%), answering a phishing email (62%), or visiting compromised websites (48%). Perhaps most alarming of all is how long it can take to recover from an attack--41% estimate it will take more than one day to a few weeks to be fully functional again.

Want to learn what organizations ranked as the best prevention methods and preferred solutions? For this, and other insights on malware and ransomware, complete the form to download your free copy of the report.