EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:

Let’s start with the obvious. Experts agree that you should never pay ransomware. It’s not a winning proposition for a couple reasons: You can’t trust that the hackers will actually do the honorable thing and give you your files back; and, it just makes you a target for more cyberattacks down the road. But perhaps less obvious: Ransomware attacks are preventable. Employers should have appropriate security measures in effect, as well as good internal training to prevent the incident in the first place.

A recent study by Intermedia, a cloud services provider, revealed that 70 percent of surveyed employees were, in fact, trained. Nevertheless, ranswomware did strike. And when it did, 59 percent of employees who were hit while on their work computers paid the ransom out of their own pockets.

According to Catalin Cimpanu  in his article in Bleeping Computer, employees felt shamed for falling victim. “Most hoped to pay the ransom and decrypt company data before everyone else discovered the incident.”

Read the full story at Bleeping Computer.