Ransomware is now a billion-dollar industry for hackers, and over the last decade we’ve seen extremely virulent strains of this malware wreak havoc across all types of businesses. As with any big-money industry, ransomware will continue to evolve in order to maximize profits. In 2020, we believe ransomware will focus on the cloud.
Recently, untargeted “shotgun blast” ransomware has plateaued with attackers now showing preference for targeted attacks against industries whose businesses cannot function with any downtime. These include healthcare, state and local governments, and industrial control systems.
Despite its far reaching damages and soaring revenues, ransomware has largely left the cloud untouched. As businesses of every size move both their servers and data to the cloud, it has become a one-stop shop for all of our most important information. In 2020, we expect to see this safe haven crumble as ransomware begins targeting cloud-based assets including file stores, S3 buckets, and virtual environments.
Security Tips: Do you have cloud security? Virtual or cloud UTM? Asking these questions is where to start. Use advanced malware protection to detect evasive malware. More importantly, consider new security paradigms that allow you to implement security controls, like advanced malware protection, in cloud use cases. Finally, the cloud can be secured, but it requires work. Make sure you’ve hardened your cloud workloads. For instance, investigate resources for properly securing S3 buckets.
Interested in what other emerging threats and security issues might surface next year? Check out the WatchGuard Threat Lab’s complete list of 2020 Security Predictions here.