Sophos’ “State of Ransomware 2024” survey shows that 97% of organizations hit by ransomware sought assistance from law enforcement, with a majority finding the process easy. The report underscores the ongoing threat of ransomware to businesses and the importance of global collaboration for effective cybersecurity.
9 May 2024 – Sophos, a leading global provider of cybersecurity solutions, has unveiled significant insights from its annual “State of Ransomware 2024” survey. According to the report, 97% of organizations impacted by ransomware in the past year sought assistance from law enforcement or official government bodies. Additionally, more than half of these organizations found the process of engaging with law enforcement relatively easy, indicating a positive trend towards collaboration between private and public sectors in combating cyber threats.
The survey, conducted between January and February 2024, included responses from 5,000 cybersecurity/IT leaders across 14 countries. Results showed that 61% of organizations received advice on dealing with ransomware, 60% received assistance in investigating attacks, and 58% were aided in recovering encrypted data by law enforcement. Sophos X-Ops’ Active Adversary report highlighted the persistent threat of ransomware, which remained the most common attack type encountered in 70% of incidents investigated in 2023.
Director and Field CTO at Sophos, Chester Wisniewski, emphasized the changing attitude towards engaging with law enforcement, attributing it to new regulations on cyber incident reporting. He stressed the importance of shifting focus towards prevention, noting the significance of timely device patching and multi-factor authentication. FBI Director Christopher Wray echoed the importance of collaboration between private and public sectors in combatting cybercrime, highlighting the FBI’s efforts in working closely with the private sector.
In conclusion, the findings from the “State of Ransomware 2024” report underscore the critical need for cooperation between organizations and law enforcement to effectively combat cyber threats.
