Cyber security

One in five Australians hit by ransomware attacks: WatchGuard survey

New data released by network security specialist WatchGuard Technologies has found that more one in five Australians (21 per cent) have been the victim of a ransomware attack, while just under one in three Australians (31 per cent) are unsure if they have actually been hit by ransomware.

That’s according to a survey of 245 consumers conducted at last month’s annual CeBIT trade show in Sydney by WatchGuard Technologies.

These latest findings from WatchGuard Technologies are consistent with a survey which the company conducted at CeBIT last year which found that 16 percent of Australians had been the victim of a ransomware attack while 37 per cent were uncertain if they had ever been the victim of a ransomware attack.

The 2018 survey found that just one in four Australians feel sufficiently protected against ransomware while over half (53 per cent) don’t know if they have robust technologies and processes in place to guard against ransomware.

Last year, WatchGuard found that 23 percent of Australians felt that they were insufficiently protected against a future ransonware attack, while 37 percent were uncertain if they were protected against ransomware.

In addition, the 2018 survey found that just under half (45 per cent) of Australians polled know of an organisation which has been the victim of a ransomware attack, an identical figure exposed in the 2017 survey.

“Ransomware in 2018 continues to be one of the most talked about and publicised security threats in the modern era,” said Watchguard Technologies ANZ regional direcgtor Mark Sinclair.

“What started as a few high-profile attacks caused by a handful of malware variants has developed into a virulent threat landscape in which increasingly unskilled attackers are able to execute highly effective ransomware campaigns against organisations of all sizes and levels of complexity.”

 

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