At a glance: How unpatched vulnerabilities feed ransomware attacks

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Unpatched vulnerabilities are a top priority for ransomware attackers, offering them a straightforward entry point into corporate systems. Use this checklist to understand the risks and take actionable steps to mitigate them.

Understanding the Threat

🔍 Recognize the Scope of the Problem:

  • Nearly one-third (32%) of ransomware attacks originate from unpatched vulnerabilities.
  • Industries relying on legacy systems, such as energy and utilities, are at the highest risk.

🚩 Identify Common Vulnerabilities:

  • ProxyShell and Log4Shell remain among the most exploited vulnerabilities, despite patches being available for years.

📊 Quantify the Impact:

  • Backup compromise rate: 75% for vulnerability-based attacks vs. 54% for credential-based attacks.
  • Data encryption rate: 67% vs. 43%, respectively.
  • Average recovery cost: $3 million for vulnerability-driven attacks vs. $750,000 for credential-based incidents.

Operational Risks of Staying Exposed

⏳ Recovery Delays:

  • 45% of organizations take over a month to recover from vulnerability-based attacks.
  • That’s compared to 37% for other root causes.

💸 Financial Burden:

  •  Organizations are 4x more likely to fund ransoms in-house when vulnerabilities are exploited (31% vs. 2%).

🔒 Increased Ransom Payments:

  • Vulnerability attacks drive a higher ransom payment rate: 71% vs. 45%.

Key Steps to Mitigate the Risks

🛡️ Reduce Your Attack Surface:

  • Maintain full visibility of all external-facing systems.
  • Identify high-risk exposures and prioritize patching for critical vulnerabilities.
  • Regularly update all software and systems to the latest versions.

⚙️ Deploy Anti-Exploit Protections:

  • Use endpoint security solutions with built-in anti-exploit capabilities to block behaviors associated with ransomware attacks.

🕵️‍♂️ Enhance Detection and Response:

  • Establish 24/7 monitoring to detect and mitigate suspicious activities.
  • Consider managed detection and response (MDR) services to extend your team’s capabilities.

Action Items for Your Organization

✅ Audit your environment for unpatched vulnerabilities.

✅ Prioritize patching based on risk severity.

✅ Deploy advanced security solutions for proactive defense.

✅ Regularly train teams to recognize and address emerging threats.

Get essential knowledge and practical strategies to protect your organization from ransomware attacks.

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