Cyber extortion is a crime like any other, and a crime first and foremost. As such, it emerges from a specific political, economic and cultural context. Its growth is fueled primarily by social and cultural drivers, and its particular shape is the convergence of technology and economics. It should be clear that our response to this scourge needs to be as layered and multi-faceted as the diverse factors that converged to create it in the first place.
However, cyber extortion persists because we have built and continue building a technology landscape that can’t be realistically protected in the face of such overwhelming systemic forces. Addressing the challenges in the technology landscape under your control is therefore the focus of this report. The report focuses on five steps and includes checklists for each stage:
- Anticipate the latest cyber threats and prevent digital risk
- Identify your critical assets, data and vulnerabilities to prepare your security strategy
- Protect your organization with the right technology and skills
- Detect cyber attacks through analysis of alerts and behaviors
- Respond to cyber attacks with proper containment and remediation plan