- Eight out of victims of ten ransomware reported to pay, yet remaining improving uncertain
- Cyber -Criminals are now targeted at executive E emails and contracts for gearing
- Over half of the companies reported attacks tied to AI -vulnerabilities
New research has claimed that smaller companies continue to face threats in the digital space, where ransomware attacks are particularly hit hard.
The latest Hiscox Cyber Emergency Report, found out of nearly 6,000 companies investigated, said well over half (59%) said they had been hit by some form of cyber attacks in the past year.
Economic sanctions followed one -third of those affected, with many reporting operational disorders, reputation injuries and even staff burning.
Worrisome reality with ransomware -payments
Ransomware is still an important source of injury, and the report reveals that 27% of respondents had experienced such an attack, 80% of whom admitted to having paid a ransom.
Despite this, improvement was far from guaranteed as only 60% managed to regain all or part of their data, while almost a third were asked to pay again after the initial transaction.
The results suggest that paid attackers create little security and possibly only encourage several extortion attempts.
Calls are growing for greater transparency, with 71% of respondents saying that companies must be obliged to disclose ransom and the amounts involved.
The report notes that criminal groups are increasingly aimed at sensitive business data such as contracts, executive e emails and financial information.
These goods can be priced by reputation value, making them easier to make money than stolen personal details.
“Cyber criminals are now much more focused on stealing sensitive business data. Once stolen, they require payment.
“This change has exposed gaps in some companies’ data loss prevention, which attackers are easily exploited.”
At the same time, over half of the respondents said they had suffered events linked to AI-related vulnerabilities, ranging from deepfaks to weaknesses in third-party AI applications.
Although Nealry two -thirds (65%) still considers AI as more an opportunity than a threat, the conclusions point to new risks that may not yet be fully understood by business leaders.
To counter these threats, companies increase their security budgets and adopt measures that include staff training and new technical protection measures.
Companies are aimed at layered defense such as ransomware protection, automated removal of malware and extensive antivirus systems.
These solutions often combine firewalls, password managers and secure backup tools to reduce vulnerabilities and strengthen overall resilience.
Although these measures may reduce exposure, the extent of attack suggests that no system is foolproof.
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