The NCSC reports that 2,000 cyber attacks were reported last year. In 2017, there were only 700. The most worrisome growth is the rise in ransomware attacks. In the past 5 years, the number of tansomware attacks has increased dramatically. This increase worries cyber experts including NFIR. Hacker groups use these attacks to take down entire organizations in exchange for high amounts of ransom, the ransom. The NCSC’s research shows not only that the number of ransomeware attacks is increasing, but also their impact. This can be traced to the sophisticated approach that is becoming increasingly professional. Hacker groups are increasingly operating as professional companies. Part of that professionalization is the use of “Melissa. The female voice deployed by the groups in order to negotiate the demanded log money with affected organizations. This professional development led to a meeting of meeting with the crème de la crème of Dutch cybersecurity. At the table are major companies such as Northwave Cyber Security, Hunt & Hackett, Trellix, NFIR and also the industry association Cyberveilig Nederland. They are putting their heads together to learn from hacks and work more intensively together to combat cyberattacks and hostage software.
