Nearly half of businesses report that they were the subject of a cyber-ransom campaign in 2016, according to Radware’s Global Application and Network Security Report, 2016-2017.

According to the report, 41% of respondents reported that ransom was the top motivator behind the cyber attacks they experienced in 2016, followed by insider threats (27%), political hacktivism (26%) and competition (26%).

Ransomware attacks — malware that can lock up a company’s data until ransom is paid — will continue to grow, according to the report. These attacks will target phones, laptops and company computers, and will likely take aim at healthcare devices, such as defibrillators, in the future.

You can reduce your chances of ransomware attacks and other cyber threats by keeping software up to date; backing up all information every day to a secure, offsite location; segmenting your network; performing penetration testing; and training staff on cyber security practices.

Source: Techrepublic.com, Jan. 10, 2017