From massive increases in ransom amounts to big shifts in attack models, these statistics reveal the major new trends in ransomware.

In 2019, ransomware completely evolved. Mass distribution campaigns designed to to indiscriminately infect home users are out. Targeted campaigns aimed at taking down mid- to large-sized organizations are in. As a result, according to several sources, the overall number of infections dropped in 2019. But the infections we did see were more sophisticated, more disruptive, and far more lucrative for the criminals behind the operations.

What's driving this trend? The following stats tell the story. Read more

With client-wide infections being reported on a weekly basis, MSPs need to balance prevention with response planning, so when the worst happens, they'll be ready.

Last week, we had the pleasure of hosting a webinar with Huntress Labs CEO Kyle Hanslovan covering a topic on everyone's minds — ransomware. Specifically, ransomware incidents where attackers have compromised MSPs, used their credentials to hijack the MSP's legitimate software tools, and abused those tools to deploy ransomware across their entire client base.

Kyle has personally worked with nearly 40 MSPs who have been victims of these attacks. As a result, he's seen and heard firsthand what owners and technicians go through, and learned what separates the ones who are able to successfully recover from the ones who don't. Read more

The security industry isn't exactly known for its transparency and crystal-clear messaging. It's a crowded and competitive market, packed with vendors feeling the pressure to differentiate themselves and keep up with competitors. These days, there's a tendency to claim multilayered or "all-in-one" protection, but what exactly that consists of varies, and comparing offerings can be confusing.

It also doesn't help that security terminology reads like alphabet soup.

One of the acronyms we're seeing thrown around a lot lately is EDR, short for endpoint detection & response. Nearly every security vendor is now saying they offer some form of EDR, so let's define what it is and explain what it does in relation to other products in your security stack. Read more

On Monday, Kim Zetter at Motherboard broke the news that attackers had hijacked the software update tool for ASUS, one of the largest computer makers in the world. Researchers estimate the tool was used to install backdoors on hundreds of thousands of machines between June and November 2018. Here's what you and your clients need to know. Read more

Photo by Andre Hunter

The year is young, but 2019 is already shaping up to be another rough one on the security front. Particularly concerning is the growing number of attacks explicitly targeting MSPs and their customers. Read more

At the end of every year, it seems like every business takes a moment to ponder over what’s been accomplished in the past year, looking for ways to improve operations and increase revenue in the coming year. In my last blog, I looked back at the state of security in 2018 and how it affected MSPs.  I’d like to take the opportunity in this article to do a bit of looking forward towards next year, focusing in on some security predictions that will change the way you offer security services.

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