Security News > 2022 > February > Are IT and OT losing the ransomware battle?

If cyber-physical security company Claroty's Global State of Industrial Cybersecurity 2021 report is any indication of the state of the war against ransomware, both IT and OT have been losing ground in their battles.

According to the report, 80% of critical infrastructure organizations reported experiencing a ransomware attack in 2021.

The general gist of Claroty's report goes beyond ransomware to define a trifecta of problems that caused unprecedented disruption in 2021: the aforementioned ransomware, increased speeds of digital transformation and a shift to remote work triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic that is unlikely to shift back in the next few years.

In terms of industries hit the hardest, Claroty found that IT hardware, oil and gas, water and waste and automotive companies were the hardest hit, with 90% of respondents from those industries reporting their organization faced a ransomware attack in the last year.

In the electric energy and heavy industry sectors that number is barely lower, with 87% reporting a ransomware attack in 2021.

If remote work and OT/ICS-exposing digital transformation are what open you up to increased risk, then ransomware is what that increased risk opens you up to.

News URL

https://www.techrepublic.com/article/are-it-and-ot-losing-the-ransomware-battle/