A major auto manufacturer’s factories and operations around the world were recently paralyzed when a ransomware attack knocked it offline. It was just the latest in a troubling upward trend of high-profile attacks.
In fact, ransomware attacks have been riding on an upward trajectory for the past couple of years, increasing dramatically in 2020, and becoming more insidious in the process. In April, a joint alert from key United States and United Kingdom federal agencies warned of malicious actors using the COVID-19 pandemic as part of their tactics as a notable increase in cyberattacks across sectors and industries ensued.