The Dangers of Double and Triple Extortion

Ransomware has emerged as one of the most dangerous modern threats to businesses, and when you consider just what’s at stake with a ransomware infection, you’ll realize we’re not exaggerating. The worst variants of ransomware will attempt to extort you through any means necessary, and when you don’t give in so easily, they’ll pull out the big guns: double and triple extortion.

Double-Extortion

Double-extortion is the tactic criminals might go for if you refuse to pay the ransom, and it’s devilish in design.

Sometimes when a ransomware attack occurs, the criminal in question might also exfiltrate your data. They’ll make a copy of the data before encrypting it, then use that data to effectively hold your business hostage twice-over. They can leak that data online or sell it on the black market if you fail to pay up, effectively forcing your hand if you’re desperate enough.

If you think that’s the worst of it, though, you’re sorely mistaken.

Triple-Extortion

If you thought data theft was the worst of it, well… you better buckle up.

Let’s say you’re feeling adamant about not paying the ransom and you don’t give a hoot about data theft (a tall order to be sure). A hacker might up the ante on you and put more pressure on you to take action. They might launch DDoS attacks to pin your business to the ground, or they might contact third parties to make matters significantly worse—third parties like news organizations, law enforcement agencies, or even your customers.

The loss of reputation that comes from such an act is enough to sink even the most well-meaning business.

What Can Be Done?

At this point, you’re probably wondering, “Well, if I can’t pay the ransom, and I can’t recover my data, what can I do?”

The answer is simple: trust in professional IT technicians like the folks at White Mountain IT Services to help you get through this mess. Ideally, you don’t have to face ransomware at all, and your systems are adequately protected enough. In any case, you should be prepared with a backup of your company’s data, just in case something were to happen.

But even that might not be enough to stop ransomware—so that’s why you break out the big guns of your own: White Mountain IT Services.

If you’re nervous about ransomware (and you should be), contact White Mountain IT Services. Our trusted technicians will ensure you’re as protected from cyberattacks as possible. Learn more by calling us at (603) 889-0800 today.

White Mountain IT

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