Phishing may be the most common cybersecurity threat in the UK, but it could be only a matter of time before ransomware snatches the crown, a report from cybersecurity firm CybSafe suggests.
Analyzing data provided by the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), CybSafe noted that phishing was to blame for most incidents so far this year, making up 40 percent of all cases reported to the ICO.
At the same time, ransomware attacks made up almost a quarter (22 percent) of all incidents reported, surging from 11 percent last year.
Of all the different industries, the education sector seems to have it worst, as ransomware accounted for roughly a third (32 percent) of all attacks in H1 2021, up from 11 percent a year ago. CybSafe believes education became a prime target due to remote learning, which became hugely popular during the pandemic.
Education aside, retail and manufacturing firms are still prime targets, accounting for 20 percent of all reported incidents. As retail companies look to gather as much data on its customers as possible, it becomes a bigger target.
“To combat this…
