An ITWeb survey on ransomware and cyber extortion, being conducted in partnership with KnowBe4, has gone live.
The objective of the survey is to gain a better understanding of how SA organisations have been impacted by ransomware and how they’re responding to the ransomware and cyber extortion (Cy-X) threat.
Anna Collard, SVP of content strategy and evangelist at KnowBe4 Africa, explains: “Ransomware has evolved from encrypting data to cyber extortion schemes, including exfiltrating sensitive information and posting it publicly, extorting employees or customers, DDoS attacks against services or publicly embarrassing their victims.”
A 2021 ransomware survey by ITWeb and KnowBe4 revealed that 85% of respondents were concerned about ransomware. “We would like to uncover the extent to which there have been any drastic changes or new trends since the 2021 survey,” says Collard.
“We would also like to see if South African organisations pay out when hit by ransomware or cyber extortion attacks – and whether there’d be a difference in payment strategy if data was encrypted versus exfiltrated.”
The survey explores what form of protection strategies are in place and considered the most effective, as well as the business impact of cyber extortion.
Collard says, “We’re interrogating whether businesses that paid a ransom recovered their data. We also look into whether organisations that suffered a ransomware attack notified law enforcement or any other regulatory body.”
Add your input - anonymously
Please set aside a few minutes of your time to participate in the survey and stand a chance to win a lucky draw prize, a Takealot voucher to the value of R3 000.
Your responses to the survey questions will remain anonymous – ie answers to questions will not be linked to respondents’ names or businesses. However, respondents will have to submit their contact information to qualify for the prize.
The detailed results of the survey, and the prize winner, will be published on ITWeb. The survey outcomes will also be unpacked at a 30 March webinar on ransomware and Cy-X. Respondents who agree to further contact by KnowBe4 will receive an invitation to attend the webinar.
Follow this link to play your role in compiling this ransomware and Cy-X trends report.
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