Ransomware doesn't take weekends off

Ransomware is being targeted at organizations seven days a week, leaving no time for enterprises to shore up their security operations, according to a new report.

Analysis of publicly reported ransomware events by RiskRecon looks at the dates on which ransomware activated to encrypt systems, a metric that which was disclosed in 473 of the 654 events examined.

Friday has the highest share, at 19 percent of all disclosed ransomware detonation events. Wednesday is the second most common day for detonating ransomware on 17 percent, followed by Sunday with a 15 percent share.

"Criminals aren't taking the weekends off. They are targeting organizations 24 hours a day, seven days a week," says RiskRecon's co-founder, Kelly White. "This continuous threat pressure necessitates that organizations operate their security monitoring and response operations at full capability at all times. Delays in responding to ransomware directly translates to increased business downtime. Going undetected and unchecked also gives criminals time to expand the ransomware blast radius."

The continual threat has implications for supply chain management. Organizations need to know who their critical suppliers are and ensure that their ransomware defenses too are operating effectively. "It is no longer enough to be concerned only about your own defenses," adds White. "Organizations are critically dependent on the availability of their vendors and partners. ransomware takes out an essential partner, it can take down your enterprise."

The full report is available from the RiskRecon site.

Photo credit: Ton Snoei / Shutterstock