Ransomware has seen a resurgence in the past couple of years, and will only continue to grow – but there are ways of protecting your educational institution from the threat.

The malware threat finally hit mainstream headlines in 2017 with the global Petya, WannaCry and Bad Rabbit Ransomware attacks.

High-profile victims included the NHS in the UK, international shipping company Maersk (which lost over £234 million as a result of the attack) and American pharmaceutical business Merck, which reported early losses of $310 million.

It’s not just big-name businesses that are targeted by Ransomware; in fact, only 25% of businesses hit by Ransomware have over 1000 employees; the hackers don’t discriminate based on business size.

In fact, smaller businesses and public institutions are seen to be easier targets for ransom payments, due to their lesser ability to quickly recover from an attack. 22% of small businesses successfully infected with Ransomware suffered so much they had to cease operations immediately – The impact on schools and universities could be similarly disruptive.

The ever-growing threat of cyber-attacks like ransomware mean IT, facilities and operations managers need robust continuity plans that ensure businesses can recover in the event of a cyber-attack.

This infographic by IT support company TSG highlights some of the key statistics around ransomware, with tips on how to prevent an attack.

Ransomware-infographic—from-Technology-Services-Group