Ransomware Is Top Concern for Many Security Pros: Report

From Kaseya, to Colonial Pipeline, to the many other organizations that have faced ransomware in 2021, it has been a difficult year for those hit with this type of threat.

Dark Reading's 2021 Malware Threat Survey, which polled 160 IT and cybersecurity professionals, reflects on the growing problem and finds 41% of security and IT leaders identify ransomware as their top concern over the next two years.

The report also finds COVID-19 had a significant impact on the malware landscape, with 39% of organizations reporting a slight to significant increase in malware volumes since the pandemic began. Nearly half (47%) of respondents identify phishing as the most common attack vector for malware infections, and 49% of security leaders say their biggest challenge with new malware is assessing the risk associated with it.

Organizations continue to heavily rely on automated malware detection technologies, threat intelligence services, and a handful of other tools and techniques to detect and remediate malware threats. Nearly half, though, still believe the malware they encountered over the past 12 months is significantly more effective at penetrating their defenses than previous malware. A greater proportion of respondents, compared with last year, describe malware risk evaluation and assessment as a big challenge.

Read the full report, The State of Malware Threats, here.