96 pc ransomware affected Indian firms engaged with law enforcement for help: Report

NEW DELHI: About 96 per cent of Indian organisations that were hit by ransomware over the past year engaged with law enforcement or official government bodies for help with the attack, a new report said on Tuesday.

According to the cybersecurity firm Sophos, about 59 per cent of the organisations that did engage with law enforcement also reported finding the process easy.

Only 7 per cent said the process was very difficult.

"The high rate of Indian organizations seeking law enforcement aid for ransomware attacks signals a positive shift in the country's cybersecurity landscape," said Sunil Sharma, VP of Sales, Sophos India and SAARC.

"The upcoming DPDP Act, set to come into effect in July, will further strengthen these efforts by encouraging transparency and facilitating collaboration between private and public sectors in combating cybercrime," he added.

The report surveyed 5,000 IT decision-makers across 14 countries, including 500 respondents in India.

Impacted organisations reached out to law enforcement or official government bodies for a range of assistance with ransomware attacks.

According to the report, 71 per cent reported they had received advice on dealing with ransomware, while 70 per cent received help investigating the attack.

Around 71 per cent of those who had their data encrypted received help from law enforcement to recover their data from the ransomware attack.

"While improving cooperation and working with law enforcement after an attack are all good developments, we need to move from simply treating the symptoms of ransomware to preventing those attacks in the first place," said Chester Wisniewski, Director, Field CTO, Sophos.