Crossword Cybersecurity Plc launches Ransomware Readiness Assessment Service

Crossword Cybersecurity has launched its new Ransomware Readiness Assessment service. The service helps organisations reduce their exposure to ransomware attacks, provides detailed assessments on areas requiring protection and recommends how they should respond to attacks.  

Ransomware is a malware designed to deny a user or organisation access to files on their computer. By encrypting these files and demanding a ransom payment for the decryption key, cyber attackers place organisations in a position where paying the ransom can be seen as the easiest and cheapest way to regain access to their files. Today ransomware attacks are endemic across all industry sectors – the speed of response and lowering the risk of an attack are everything.

78% of organisations experienced an attack in 2021, of which 68% resulted in successful infections. The cost of these attacks can extend far beyond recovering systems and the ransom, if paid. Successful ransomware attacks almost always result in a significant portion of an organisation’s data being stolen, with associated costs including reputational damage, the loss of customers, a long-term loss of productivity during systems recovery, rising insurance premiums and an estimated 80% chance of a repeat attack. Ultimately, ransomware attacks can close a business down.

Cutting the risk of attack

The Ransomware Readiness Assessment service leverages Crossword’s worldwide experience in providing cyber threat intelligence and incident response services to organisations large and small. Conducted by the Nightingale security monitoring team, using an industry-specific approach and cyber incident response forensics, an organisation’s current exposure, control systems and ability to respond to a ransomware incident is analysed in detail.

Following assessment, a detailed report is provided to the client with an overall ‘preparedness score’ together with pragmatic advice on how to improve preparedness in each area. Implementation support is also available from Crossword’s Consulting Division, which has extensive experience in helping companies recover from and reduce the risk of attacks.

The three assessments in the service cover the following areas regarding an organisation’s operational readiness:

• Exposure – Identify, qualify, and understand the specific weaknesses in an organisation that ransomware attacks exploit, including domain impersonation, cloud configurations and remote access vulnerabilities. 

• Controls – Evaluates an organisation’s current security measures against typical ransomware attack mechanisms, such as phishing, which exploit, bypass, and evade weak security controls. 

• Response – Explore an organisation’s response capabilities with a real-world ransomware attack scenario, to determine the effectiveness of its containment and recovery strategy. 

Stuart Jubb, Group Managing Director for Crossword Cybersecurity, said: “The true cost of a ransomware attack is far reaching, and it is simply not enough to rely on your technical infrastructure as a means of defence. The ability and speed of response to a ransomware attack is critical. It must be methodical, proactive and unemotional. Crossword’s Ransomware Readiness Assessment service helps organisations test the processes they have in place, achieve a cybersecurity stance that mitigates risks and gives them the tools to act when faced with an attack.”