Preparing for Ransomware with the NIST Cybersecurity Framework
Ransomware is a type of malicious attack where attackers encrypt an organization’s data and demand payment to restore access. It disrupts or halts an organization’s operations and poses a dilemma for management: pay the ransom and hope that the attackers keep their word about restoring access and not disclosing data, or do not pay the ransom and restore operations themselves. The methods used to gain access to an organization’s information and systems are common to cyberattacks more broadly, but they are aimed at forcing a ransom to be paid. Organizations must be able to quickly recover from a Ransomware attack and trust that any recovered data is accurate, complete, and free of malware.