Ransomware is the scourge of the modern malware, with about $1 billion in U.S. payments in 2024. It is essentially someone locking you out of your own data until you pay them a ransom. Paying the ransom is no guarantee that you will get your data back. About 11% of businesses that pay the ransom don’t get a decryption key that will work. Even with the key, 92% don’t get all their data back.
Over the last few years, cyber criminals have shifted from targeting larger companies to targeting small businesses (because their cybersecurity is usually laxer), with the median ransom payment being about $140K. These attacks happen all the time. A recent study indicated that 12% of all small businesses have been hit with a ransomware attack. Great Falls is not exempt. A quick Google search will show many successful ransomware attacks in the last few years, and those are only the businesses that reported them – most keep silent.
So how do you keep from becoming a victim? Essentially, you need to be sure you don’t let the bad guys get access to your computers.
- Don’t fall for a phishing scam (see my article last month). A phishing attack with a link that will download malware is one of the main ways bad guys get in.
- Have a secure firewall and keep it updated. If you have a firewall with older software, it may have vulnerabilities that let cyber criminals access your computers.
- Keep your computers updated. Just as an outdated firewall can let bad guys in, so can a computer that isn’t updated or running older software.
- Run modern Endpoint Protection with EDR (enhanced detection and response) on your business computers. Depending on the manufacturer of the software and the attack, Endpoint Protection may shut down a ransomware attack when it sees it happening. Some can even roll back the changes even after a ransomware attack starts.
- If keeping ransomware out is a high priority for you, then running an application locking program can stop Ransomware in its tracks by only letting approved software execute. If ransomware can’t run, it can’t hurt you.
Don’t be a statistic that is $140K poorer. By protecting yourself and being vigilant, the bad guy will see you’re too much trouble, and move on to the many other easier targets that exist on the internet.
By Robert Hood, Founder and CEO SpotLink: December 9, 2025 – Great Falls, Mt
Author: Staff
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