"Cyberattacks are one of the most dangerous threats to organizations today. The nature and scope of cyber-related attacks are often underestimated, leading to inadequate precautions against cyberincidents and flawed responses to successful attacks.
Many organizations think of ransomware as an isolated attack. In reality, ransomware is often deployed as part of a larger coordinated cyberattack that may involve:
- Penetration of the network through stolen credentials and remote access malware
- Takeover of critical administrative accounts that control systems such as those for backup
- Crippling of the backup system by changes to configuration and deletion of backup data
- Exfiltration of data for use in future criminal activities or to blackmail the victim into paying the ransom
These attacks can take weeks, months or even years to unfold, leaving malware deeply embedded in systems throughout the organization. When the attackers’ work is complete, the ransomware payload is executed, encrypting, destroying and/or exfiltrating critical data, including the backup store, if possible."
Gartner, Secure Your Backup Platforms and Data From Ransomware Attacks, Rene Rodriguez, Michael Hoeck, Jason Donham, Chandra Mukhyala, 20 June 2024
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