Security Professionals View Ransomware and Terrorism as Equal Threats
More than half of surveyed security professionals reported viewing ransomware and terrorism as equal threats, echoing the DOJ’s sentiments.
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By Jill McKeon
– In a survey of more than 1,500 security professionals, 60 percent of respondents reported viewing ransomware and terrorism as equal threats. Sapio Research conducted the survey on behalf of machine identity management provider Venafi.
The findings echoed the sentiments of the Department of Justice (DOJ), which announced in June 2021 that it would prioritize ransomware attacks at a level it previously reserved only for terrorism, Reuters reported.
The healthcare industry and other critical infrastructure sectors have been hit especially hard by ransomware in recent years, and the attacks are not slowing down. Over 500 healthcare organizations reported data breaches involving protected health information (PHI) to HHS’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR) in 2021.
Hugh Taylor
Hugh Taylor is a Certified Information Security Manager (CISM). In addition to editing Journal of Cyber Policy, he writes about cybersecurity, compliance and enterprise technology for such clients as Microsoft, IBM, SAP, HPE, Oracle, Google and Advanced Micro Devices. Prior to launching his freelance writing career, he served in executive roles at Microsoft, IBM and several venture-backed technology startups.