Tag: ransomware attacks

The Worst Hacks and Breaches of 2022 So Far | WIRED

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WHETHER THE FIRST six months of 2022 have felt interminable or fleeting—or both—massive hacks, data breaches, digital scams, and ransomware attacks continued apace throughout the first half of this complicated year. With the Covid-19 pandemic, economic instability, geopolitical unrest, and bitter human rights disputes grinding on around the world, cybersecurity vulnerabilities and digital attacks have proved to be thoroughly enmeshed in all aspects of life.

With another six months left in the year, though, there’s more still to come. Here are the biggest digital security debacles that have played out so far.

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How To Protect Your Business From Ransomware Attacks | Small Business Trends

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Cybercrime is evolving rapidly thanks to the pace at which technology is improving. Ransomware is one of the most common forms of attack businesses face. Many large businesses have fallen victim to ransomware attacks, and unfortunately, this perpetuates the impression that small and medium-sized companies aren’t on an attacker’s radar. This is not the case.

In October 2019, an IT consulting firm based in Wisconsin paid an undisclosed sum to an attacker who had blocked client access to patient medical records. While just 20% of ransomware victims are small businesses, over 85% of security service providers report that ransomware is one of the most common threats a small business faces.

To create a plan to protect yourself from a ransomware attack, you need to execute certain steps to make your business resilient. You also need to prepare for the worst-case scenario where you’ll be attacked.

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The Worst Hacks of 2020, a Surreal Pandemic Year | WIRED

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WHAT A WAY to kick off a new decade. 2020 showcased all of the digital risks and cybersecurity woes you’ve come to expect in the modern era, but this year was unique in the ways Covid-19 radically and tragically transformed life around the world. The pandemic also created unprecedented conditions in cyberspace, reshaping networks by pushing people to work from home en masse, creating a scramble to access vaccine research by any means, generating new fodder for criminals to launch extortion attempts and scams, and producing novel opportunities for nation-state espionage.

Here’s WIRED’s look back at this strange year and the breaches, data exposures, ransomware attacks, state-sponsored campaigns, and digital madness that shaped it. Stay safe out there in 2021.

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