Following several notable ransomware incidents in 2021, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) and Infosec are sharing no-cost resources to help businesses keep their organization secure. 

Now more than ever, ransomware is a key challenge for organizations of all sizes, with 10% of all data breaches involving ransomware according to the Verizon Business 2021 Data Breach Investigations Report. The growing number of ransomware attacks has also brought a rise in payments and damages that can be detrimental to organizations and their clients. In 2020 alone, the average ransom paid for organizations increased from $115,123 in 2019 to $312,493 in 2020, a 171% year-over-year increase.

With an exponential increase of ransomware attacks in the past five years, these attacks and degree of damages show no signs of slowing. To address the growing need for cybersecurity training and ransomware response resources, CISA has published a free Ransomware Guide and collaborated with Infosec Institute to host a webinar on available resources and tactics. 

"Education is one of the most powerful weapons against ransomware. CISA knows that not everyone has the same resources to prevent and fight ransomware threats, which is why we've made it our mission to make these tools widely available and accessible to help organizations stay a step ahead," said Amy Nicewick, section chief of communication management at CISA.  

"The recent series of high-profile ransomware attacks presents the opportunity to have more conversations about what organizations and their employees can do to help prevent these types of attacks. These attacks also show that cybercriminals will target any type of organization if they deem it profitable," said Jack Koziol, CEO and founder at Infosec. "The good news is that cybersecurity training and education goes a long way when it comes to preventing these types of attacks and protecting your organization's data. We're excited to team up with CISA to provide free tools to organizations and build awareness around cybersecurity."

Infosec is also offering a number of free cybersecurity awareness training resources to help educate employees about risks and keep cybersecurity top of mind. From a wild west malware adventure to marine-life phishing education series, the free tools offer an engaging suite of education materials for organizations to leverage on the path towards inspiring secure employee behaviors.