While large companies, such as CommonSpirit, can dominate the news when they are victims of ransomware attacks, researchers from cybersecurity company NordLocker found that small companies make up 58.8 percent of ransomware attack victims.
The report defined small businesses as companies with under 200 employees. Businesses with between 201 and 500 employees are victims of 16 percent of ransomware attacks, according to the Oct. 13 news release.
"Small businesses are top targets for ransomware gangs because, for them, cybersecurity is often an afterthought. Smaller companies justifiably prioritize growing their operation, leaving cybersecurity on the sidelines. This, combined with the usually thin profit margins small businesses endure, makes them not only easy to hack but very likely to pay up as well because they do not have the funds to sustain a prolonged halt to operations," NordLocker Chief Technology Officer Tomas Smalakys said.