Criminals have made little or no modification to their tactics to gain access from their victims' networks. Gaining access can be prevented in many cases if basic security measures are implemented. This is according to the Ransomware Annual Survey 2024.
From an analysis of ransomware attacks in the Netherlands in 2024, made possible by the collaboration within Project Melissa, reveals that cybercriminals are not using new techniques to deploy ransomware. For example, criminals still most often gain access through software vulnerabilities and account-takeover. Setting up proper patch management, among other things, is one of five basic measures to protect your organization from a ransomware attack. Read more about the five basics of digital resilience To avoid making it too easy for cybercriminals.
Organizations identified as significant and essential will have a duty of care from the moment the Cybersecurity Act (Cbw) comes into effect. The Cbw will be introduced during 2025. This duty of care includes risk analysis, backup management measures, incident handling, basic cyber hygiene and the use of multi-factor authentication. Although the Cbw has not yet been implemented, organizations can get started now. Read here how you can prepare your organization, even if it does not have a duty of care.
The number of incidents within the analysis decreased slightly from last year. There are 121 unique incidents. 76 of these incidents are known through reports and 20 through incident response companies. In addition, 25 incidents overlap - these are incidents that emerged from both the monthly query and police report data.
Incidents at large and medium-sized organizations (from about 50 FTEs) are visible in about 40% of the cases through the mentioned sources, while for SMEs it is only 10-15%. This suggests that the actual number of ransomware attacks is higher.
Only together can we complete our picture of ransomware in the Netherlands and make a fist against ransomware. Does your company assist ransomware victims? Then we would like to discuss with you the possibilities and the importance of contributing to these statistics. Mail for more information to info@ncsc.nl.
Filing a police report is crucial if you are a business or individual victim of ransomware. Even if criminals have already been paid, that gives police important information. A report may contain missing information that police can use to unlock the system. It also helps in finding suspects.
