Arcserve Joins Ransomware Watch Forces With Data Security Experts to Fight Ransomware

Arcserve, LLC, whose data protection and availability solutions deliver enterprise power with small team simplicity, announced Ransomware Watch, a consortium comprised of innovators in data security focused on educating and equipping organizations in the fight against ransomware.

Arcserve, in partnership with Infoblox, Inc., KnowBe4, Inc., Maureen Data Systems, ThreatTrack Security, Inc. (VIPRE Security), and Webroot, Inc., unveiled Ransomware Watch to arm organizations with reports and cutting-edge interactive tools, including a ransomware simulator and system analyzer, to quickly evaluate how ‘ransomware-proof’ they really are.

“The number one lesson to be learned from recent cyber attacks, such as WannaCry and NotPetya, is that most businesses are dangerously unprepared for them. Every type and size of organization is vulnerable – in fact, research suggests a company is hit with ransomware every 40s,” said Christophe Bertrand, VP, product marketing, Arcserve. “Information is the single greatest weapon in the fight against this growing threat, which is why we’ve brought together leading data security experts, irrespective of individual business objectives, to form this consortium.“

Trusted, one-stop source to combat ransomware
Ransomware Watch is a knowledge base that offers current and comprehensive tools for organizations that need help protecting and recovering their data. Through reports and insights, visitors can learn about how ransomware works, the latest methods of attacks, whether to pay a ransom, and the most important ways to proactively defend their critical data.

“As a leader in data protection for more than 25 years, Arcserve has witnessed hundreds of businesses hit with ransomware attacks,” said Erica Antony, VP, product management, Arcserve. “It’s much easier to avoid an attack than retrieve data once an attack has begun, thus education and modern disaster avoidance technology desperately need to coexist to keep organizations safe.“

Understanding impact of ransomware
With an annual growth rate of 350%, the scope and scale of ransomware attacks have risen sharply. Cybersecurity Ventures predicts that ransomware damages will exceed $5 billion in 2017 and $6 trillion by 2021.

Ransomware is affecting more businesses, more often:

• Last year, the number of attacks on businesses tripled with over 40% of spam emails containing malware links to ransomware – a 6,000% increase from 2015

• 72% of companies infected with ransomware suffer two days or more without access to their files, with one third going five days or longer

• Because of the rapid pace by which new variants are produced, 70% of the companies attacked have fallen victim to ransomware that bypassed security and successfully encrypted their files