Prepare Against Being a Prime Target

Here are a few numbers for your agency to consider when it comes to ransomware:

• 330 individual ransomware attacks on government organizations took place between 2018 and October 2022.
• $5 million was the total payments made in 27 of these 72 cases (though entities are more likely to disclose that they haven’t paid the ransom than if they have).
• 17 days was the average downtime government organizations lost, varying from six days in 2022 to over 20 days in 2018.

Unfortunately, no organization is safe from being targeted by malicious ransomware. But that doesn’t mean your organization can’t prepare for and defend against an attack.

Government organizations looking to prepare for ransomware attacks can start by focusing on five key areas, which are highlighted in the National Institute of Standards and Technology’s Ransomware Risk Management Framework, including:

• Know Your Risks
• Build Resilience, Plan for Recovery
• Detect the Signs of Attack
• Respond According to Plan
• Focus on Zero

For more details on the risk management framework and how to defend your agency from ransomware, download this playbook.