Ransomware has skyrocketed to the topmost feared attacks on an organization. Over the last year, the U.S. witnessed a huge spike with more expected in the future. Cybercriminals have targeted overburdened hospitals during COVID-19 and have infiltrated educational institutions and businesses, demanding payments. In September 2020, hundreds of health care centers operated by the Universal Health Services network were infected with ransomware. Soon after, the University of Vermont Health Network, the Sky Lakes Medical Center in Oregon, the St. Lawrence Health System in New York, and the Dickinson County Healthcare System in Michigan and Wisconsin all fell victim to the same malware. These attacks interfered with patient care and forced the hospitals to revert to paper records to continue operating, since they lost access to all their digital systems.
Despite dozens of very high-profile outbreaks, organizations across the globe have continued to fall victim to ransomware. Some organizations refuse to pay the sometimes steep ransoms. Others surrender to the attackers and pay up. All organizations that experience ransomware attacks suffer ongoing damage to their reputations.