Wiping out ransomware after an attack? Some UK businesses not confident they can do it

A third (36 percent) of companies in the UK that have been victims of a ransomware attack are not "very confident" they managed to completely eradicate the malware from their systems, according to a new report by Citrix.

The report also shines new light on just how prevalent and dangerous ransomware attacks really are. One in three UK businesses have had more than 100 of their devices affected by ransomware recently.

Almost half of large businesses have suffered a successful ransomware attack, but, despite it, more than 10 percent don’t have a formal ransomware policy set up.

What’s more, almost two fifths of unprepared organizations have no plans on implementing such a policy in the next 12 months.

Among the victims, 31 percent saw 25 or fewer devices affected, the report said.

"Cyber criminals are continuing to exploit British businesses by launching ransomware attacks to remove access to mission-critical data or to make significant sums of money by demanding large ransoms for the safe return of such data," says Chris Mayers, chief security architect at Citrix.

"Despite this, many organizations have yet to take action and implement policies which will ensure the IT network is well prepared for a possible attack."

"By committing to robust cybersecurity techniques and ensuring specific policies are in place in case of an attack, companies can lessen the chances of falling prey to ransomware and creating any vulnerabilities for cyber-attackers to find."

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