- Published
- Source
- Help Net Security
- Filed under
- Ransomware, Attacks
Ransomware attackers threatened employees’ family members or friends at 37% of organizations surveyed for Semperis’ 2026 Ransomware Risk Report. The survey covered 1,200 IT and security professionals at organizations that had experienced at least one successful ransomware attack. “Ransomware has proven to be a great cash-generating activity for criminal syndicates, which have no hesitation about inflicting both cyber and physical harm,” said Mickey Bresman, Semperis CEO. Threats reach beyond the workplace Respondents described threatening messages, … More →…
What defenders check after a story like this
- Backups kept offline or immutable – and a restore you have actually tested.
- Multi-factor authentication on every remote way in, with VPNs and firewalls patched first.
- Alerts for the warning signs: new admin accounts, security tools switched off, mass file changes, large uploads.
More helpNCSC: mitigating malware and ransomware attacks (opens in a new tab)
Defender’s notebook
The attacker technique behind this story, in MITRE’s terms – and what to check in your own estate.
Data Encrypted for Impact
ImpactWhat a defender checks
- Isolate affected hosts from the network to stop the spread.
- Confirm backups are offline and restorable – then test a restore.
- Hunt for what came first: new admin accounts, disabled security tools, remote-access software.
Build the skillBlue Team Engineer · Incident Management & Response Engineering
© 2026 The MITRE Corporation. This work is reproduced and distributed with the permission of The MITRE Corporation. MITRE ATT&CK and ATT&CK are registered trademarks of The MITRE Corporation.
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