Damages Caused by Ransomware and Selected Preventive Countermeasures

Protecting the data of organizations against a wide range of cyber threats is undoubtedly one of the current topics in which there is considerable interest worldwide. This contribution discusses the principle of ransomware, the payment methods used, and an overview of the actual damage caused in the form of the ransom and the subsequent affected costs of the organization. The presented data was obtained based on an extensive analysis of relevant publicly available sources and reports. Cybercriminals are always one step ahead in their efforts to exploit identified and undetected vulnerabilities, putting significant pressure on cyber security professionals in organizations. Finally, the study also provides an overview of selected security measures to ensure protection against this kind of cyber threats, which can contribute to increasing awareness in this area and the general organizations security.