---
title: "Ransomware Hits: The Reason Why Businesses Need To Adopt Robust Anti-Phishing Measures | Phish Protection"
description: "Due to the ongoing pandemic, multitudes of people have been obligated to work remotely, making phishing attacks commonplace in the digital world."
image: "https://phishprotection.com/og/blog/ransomware-hits-reason-why-businesses-need-to-adopt-robust-anti-phishing-measures.png"
canonical: "https://phishprotection.com/blog/ransomware-hits-reason-why-businesses-need-to-adopt-robust-anti-phishing-measures/"
---

Quick Answer

Due to the ongoing pandemic, multitudes of people have been obligated to work remotely, making \*\*phishing attacks\*\* commonplace in the digital world. \_It has widened the doors to vulnerability as people move away from the more secure networks of their workplace\_. Businesses' networks have not been entirely secure either, with reports showing that phishing attacks account for \*\*more than 80%\*\* of \[reported security incidents\](https://www.csoonline.com/article/3153707/top-cybersecurity-facts-figures-and-statistics.html). According to \[Verizon\](https://enterprise.verizon.com/resources/reports/2019-data-breach-investigations-report.pdf), \_\*\*94% of all malware\*\* was delivered via email as of 2019\_. At this

Share 

[ ](https://www.linkedin.com/sharing/share-offsite/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fphishprotection.com%2Fblog%2Fransomware-hits-reason-why-businesses-need-to-adopt-robust-anti-phishing-measures%2F "Share on LinkedIn") [ ](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Ransomware%20Hits%3A%20The%20Reason%20Why%20Businesses%20Need%20To%20Adopt%20Robust%20Anti-Phishing%20Measures&url=https%3A%2F%2Fphishprotection.com%2Fblog%2Fransomware-hits-reason-why-businesses-need-to-adopt-robust-anti-phishing-measures%2F "Share on X/Twitter") [ ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fphishprotection.com%2Fblog%2Fransomware-hits-reason-why-businesses-need-to-adopt-robust-anti-phishing-measures%2F "Share on Facebook") [ ](https://reddit.com/submit?url=https%3A%2F%2Fphishprotection.com%2Fblog%2Fransomware-hits-reason-why-businesses-need-to-adopt-robust-anti-phishing-measures%2F&title=Ransomware%20Hits%3A%20The%20Reason%20Why%20Businesses%20Need%20To%20Adopt%20Robust%20Anti-Phishing%20Measures "Share on Reddit") [ ](mailto:?subject=Ransomware%20Hits%3A%20The%20Reason%20Why%20Businesses%20Need%20To%20Adopt%20Robust%20Anti-Phishing%20Measures&body=Check out this article: https%3A%2F%2Fphishprotection.com%2Fblog%2Fransomware-hits-reason-why-businesses-need-to-adopt-robust-anti-phishing-measures%2F "Share via Email") 

![Phish Protection blog post image](https://media.mailhop.org/phishprotection/images/2021/05/Anti-Phishing-Solutions-Statistics-410x1024.png) 

Due to the ongoing pandemic, multitudes of people have been obligated to work remotely, making **phishing attacks** commonplace in the digital world. _It has widened the doors to vulnerability as people move away from the more secure networks of their workplace_. Businesses’ networks have not been entirely secure either, with reports showing that phishing attacks account for **more than 80%** of [reported security incidents](https://www.csoonline.com/article/3153707/top-cybersecurity-facts-figures-and-statistics.html). According to [Verizon](https://enterprise.verizon.com/resources/reports/2019-data-breach-investigations-report.pdf), _**94% of all malware** was delivered via email as of 2019_. At this juncture, what do organizations do to stay protected, and how to [stop phishing](/) emails?

### Why Do Businesses Need To Be Doubly Cautious?

The year 2020 has been a particularly detrimental year for businesses owing to the Covid-19 pandemic. According to [Yahoo! Finance](https://finance.yahoo.com/news/78-lack-confidence-company-cybersecurity-153000182.html), _78% of senior IT and IT security leaders believe their organizations’ security stance is weak_ despite the increased IT investments towards work-from-home challenges. Businesses suffer from being the target of cyber adversaries mainly in two ways.

#### Loss Of Revenue

Business organizations cannot afford to underestimate the need for [anti-phishing solutions](/), given the growing losses in revenue each year. According to [Verizon’s Data Breach Investigations Report](https://enterprise.verizon.com/resources/reports/2019-data-breach-investigations-report.pdf) of 2019, 71% of breaches reported were financially motivated. Therefore, _it is clear that businesses are the target because that’s where the money is_. [PwC’s Global Economic Crime and Fraud Survey 2020](https://www.pwc.com/gx/en/services/forensics/economic-crime-survey.html), which surveyed 5000 participants across 99 territories, points out that the total losses due to fraud in revenue are a **staggering $42 billion**. A Statista survey shows ransomware attacks up to [304 million in 2020](https://www.statista.com/statistics/494947/ransomware-attacks-per-year-worldwide/) compared to 187.9 million in 2019.

#### Disruption Of Services

Along with losses in revenue, phishing also hinders the smooth functioning of day-to-day activities. _Ransomware attacks tend to disrupt the operations of businesses by the use of screen-locking and crypto-ransomware_. Once an attacker succeeds in compromising a system, the most likely way for the user to regain access is to pay a ransom amount. For large private firms, this amount can be to the tune of several millions of dollars. The [recent attack on America’s Colonial Pipeline](https://www.analyticsinsight.net/another-major-cyberattack-heres-why-security-validation-is-more-important-than-ever/) was a ransomware attack resulting in a forced shutdown and a **loss of $4.5 million as ransom**. 

### Anti-Phishing And Anti-Ransomware Solutions

> “over 90% of ransomware attacks begin with a phishing email ([Verizon 2024 Data Breach Investigations Report](https://www.verizon.com/business/resources/reports/dbir/)) email. Blocking the phishing email is the most effective ransomware prevention strategy available - it stops the attack at the earliest possible stage, before any malware reaches your network. Every ransomware incident we’ve investigated started with an email that should have been caught.” - **Vasile Diaconu**, Operations Lead, DuoCircle

The absence of [anti-phishing solutions](/) in the organization’s IT setup makes it vulnerable to cyber threats. Adversaries gain employee credentials through social engineering attacks such as through **phishing emails**, which are then used to infiltrate the organization’s information network. One can prevent such attacks through the use of [anti-ransomware solutions](/products/malware-and-ransomware-protection/).

![Anti Phishing Solutions Statistics 410x1024](https://media.mailhop.org/phishprotection/images/2021/05/Anti-Phishing-Solutions-Statistics-410x1024.png) 

Large businesses and enterprises may possess the resources to opt for Disaster Recovery (DR) Services or Disaster Recovery as a Service (DRaaS). DR and DRaaS safeguard an organization’s data and ensure business continuity in a ransomware attack or any software or hardware failure. According to [Gartner](https://www.gartner.com/reviews/market/disaster-recovery-as-a-service), some of the best DRaaS solutions are the ones listed below:

- [Azure Site Recovery](https://azure.microsoft.com/en-in/services/site-recovery/) by Microsoft
- [Acronis Disaster Recovery Service](https://www.acronis.com/en-us/solutions/disaster-recovery/) by Acronis
- [VMware Site Recovery](https://www.vmware.com/products/site-recovery.html) by VMWare
- [ShadowProtect](https://www.storagecraft.com/products/shadowprotect) by StorageCraft
- [Datto ALTO](https://www.datto.com/products/alto) by Datto
- [IBM Disaster Recovery as a Service](https://www.ibm.com/services/business-continuity/draas) by IBM

Small businesses and individuals who travel and work remotely away from the secure networks of their offices can _adopt reputable security suites for data protection_.

### Best Anti-Phishing Practices Businesses Must Adopt

Apart from having the best DRaaS or [anti-malware solutions](/products/malware-and-ransomware-protection/) protecting extensive information infrastructure and small personal systems, it’s best to know what to do to prevent disaster from striking in the first place. _Protecting oneself from oneself is the first step to staying safe_. Listed below are some of the [anti-phishing best practices](/resources/phishing-prevention-best-practices/) that will keep a business’s information infrastructure secure from threats like ransomware:

![How to prevent phishing](https://media.mailhop.org/phishprotection/images/2021/05/how-to-prevent-phishing-8146.jpg) 
- **_Be Prudent While Clicking:_** An organization may have the [best email phishing protection](/), but it is also best to be vigilant and **avoid clicking on suspicious links** or email attachments.
- **_Avoid Disclosing Personal Information:_** Malicious actors seek users’ credentials to use them to gain access to the information network. Hence, _one must be careful about sharing such information_.
- **_Conduct Awareness Programs:_** Ongoing [security awareness training](/products/phishing-awareness-training/) for employees helps them develop a security-oriented outlook at the office and the remote workplace.
- **_Use Of Strong Passwords:_** Credential theft is one of the common targets of phishing email examples. The use of solid passwords prevents adversaries from guessing or using brute-force attacks to crack passwords. _Refrain from the practice of using the same password for multiple accounts_.
- **_Reporting Of **Phishing Attacks:_** _Employees must be encouraged to report suspicious emails_ or instances promptly as it could help take timely action against potential phishing emails.
- **_Use Of Email Security:_** The first line of defense for **email security** is the implementation of email authentication standards, such as [SPF](https://www.duocircle.com/email/spf-record-check) (Sender Policy Framework), [DMARC](https://www.duocircle.com/email/dmarc) (Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting, and Conformance), and [DKIM](https://www.duocircle.com/resources/what-is-dkim) (DomainKeys Identified Mail). Ensure these tools are carefully set up.
- **_Keep Software Up-To-Date:_** Devices that connect to an organization’s network must be updated by installing the latest software versions and security patches that repair vulnerabilities. It is also advisable to maintain an inventory of what devices are allowed to connect to the organization’s network to **ensure maximum security**.
- **_Be Alert To Domain Spoofing:_** Users must stay aware of **domain spoofing** as malicious actors often use this technique. Spoofing can trick an employee into opening emails and responding to them where the domain name looks similar to that of the organization.

### Final Words

With employees continually asking ‘how to stop phishing emails’ and ‘how to stay protected from ransomware,’ it certainly is not an easy task. Having to open and read through dozens of emails every day can take its toll on the user. Businesses, therefore, need to take a firm stance towards protecting the system in the form of training programs, awareness campaigns, and the use of security tools such as anti-malware and [anti-phishing solutions](/). Staying protected must be an ongoing process if an organization has to remain secure from the clutches of threats like ransomware and phishing.

## Topics

[ Phishing ](/tags/phishing/) 

![Brad Slavin](https://media.mailhop.org/phishprotection/images/authors/brad-slavin.jpg) 

[ Brad Slavin ](/authors/brad-slavin/) 

General Manager

Founder and General Manager of DuoCircle. Product strategy and commercial lead across DuoCircle's 2,000+ customer base.

[LinkedIn Profile →](https://www.linkedin.com/in/bradslavin) 

## Protect your inbox from phishing attacks

Real-time email security with 60-day free trial. No credit card required.

[Start Free Trial](https://portal.duocircle.com/cart.php?a=add&pid=101&brand=phishprotection) [View Pricing](/pricing/) 

## Related Articles

[  Foundational 5m  0ktapus, Okta Breach Helps Attackers Launch Sophisticated Supply Chain Attacks  Sep 5, 2022 ](/blog/0ktapus-okta-breach-helps-attackers-launch-sophisticated-supply-chain-attacks/)[  Foundational 4m  13 Spear Phishing Attacks Examples To Justify Investment For Phishing Prevention Solutions In Your Organization  Aug 1, 2019 ](/blog/13-spear-phishing-attacks-examples-to-justify-investment-for-phishing-prevention-solutions-in-your-organization/)[  Foundational 4m  All 14 centers of Kettering Health were affected by a massive ransomware attack, Major outage in the Ohio medical center  May 23, 2025 ](/blog/14-centers-of-kettering-health-were-affected-by-massive-ransomware-attack-in-ohio-medical-center/)[  Foundational 4m  2021 Phishing Trends You Need To Be Wary Of  Aug 2, 2021 ](/blog/2021-phishing-trends-to-be-wary-of/)

```json
{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"Organization","name":"Phish Protection","url":"https://phishprotection.com","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://phishprotection.com/images/phishprotection-logo.png"},"description":"Advanced phishing protection and email security for businesses. Real-time threat defense, time-of-click protection, and seamless Office 365 integration.","parentOrganization":{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q138883901","name":"DuoCircle LLC","url":"https://www.duocircle.com","sameAs":["https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q138883901","https://www.crunchbase.com/organization/duocircle-llc","https://www.linkedin.com/company/duocircle","https://github.com/duocircle"],"subOrganization":[{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q138898167","name":"DMARC Report","url":"https://dmarcreport.com"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q138897474","name":"AutoSPF","url":"https://autospf.com"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q138897912","name":"Phish Protection","url":"https://www.phishprotection.com"}]},"sameAs":["https://www.linkedin.com/company/duocircle","https://x.com/duocirclellc","https://www.facebook.com/duocirclellc","https://github.com/duocircle"],"contactPoint":{"@type":"ContactPoint","contactType":"customer support","url":"https://phishprotection.com/contact/"},"knowsAbout":["Phishing Protection","Email Security","Anti-Phishing","Business Email Compromise","Ransomware Protection","Time of Click Protection","Office 365 Email Security","Advanced Threat Defense"]}
```

```json
{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"WebSite","name":"Phish Protection","url":"https://phishprotection.com","description":"Advanced phishing protection and email security for businesses. Real-time threat defense, time-of-click protection, and seamless Office 365 integration.","publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Phish Protection","url":"https://phishprotection.com","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://phishprotection.com/images/phishprotection-logo.png"},"description":"Advanced phishing protection and email security for businesses. Real-time threat defense, time-of-click protection, and seamless Office 365 integration.","parentOrganization":{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q138883901","name":"DuoCircle LLC","url":"https://www.duocircle.com","sameAs":["https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q138883901","https://www.crunchbase.com/organization/duocircle-llc","https://www.linkedin.com/company/duocircle","https://github.com/duocircle"],"subOrganization":[{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q138898167","name":"DMARC Report","url":"https://dmarcreport.com"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q138897474","name":"AutoSPF","url":"https://autospf.com"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q138897912","name":"Phish Protection","url":"https://www.phishprotection.com"}]}}}
```

```json
{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BlogPosting","headline":"Ransomware Hits: The Reason Why Businesses Need To Adopt Robust Anti-Phishing Measures","description":"Due to the ongoing pandemic, multitudes of people have been obligated to work remotely, making phishing attacks commonplace in the digital world.","url":"https://phishprotection.com/blog/ransomware-hits-reason-why-businesses-need-to-adopt-robust-anti-phishing-measures/","datePublished":"2021-05-27T09:47:58.000Z","dateModified":"2026-04-17T15:43:10.000Z","dateCreated":"2021-05-27T09:47:58.000Z","author":{"@type":"Person","@id":"https://phishprotection.com/authors/brad-slavin/#person","name":"Brad Slavin","url":"https://phishprotection.com/authors/brad-slavin/","jobTitle":"General Manager","description":"Brad Slavin is the founder and General Manager of DuoCircle, the company behind DMARC Report, AutoSPF, Phish Protection, and Mailhop. He founded DuoCircle in 2014 and has led the company's growth to 2,000+ customers across its email security product family. Brad's focus is product strategy, customer relationships, and the commercial and compliance side of email authentication (DPAs, SLAs, enterprise procurement).","image":"https://media.mailhop.org/phishprotection/images/authors/brad-slavin.jpg","knowsAbout":["Email Security Strategy","SaaS Product Management","Enterprise Compliance","Customer Success","Email Deliverability Business"],"worksFor":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Phish Protection","url":"https://phishprotection.com"},"sameAs":["https://www.linkedin.com/in/bradslavin"]},"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Phish Protection","url":"https://phishprotection.com","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://phishprotection.com/images/phishprotection-logo.png"},"description":"Advanced phishing protection and email security for businesses. Real-time threat defense, time-of-click protection, and seamless Office 365 integration.","parentOrganization":{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q138883901","name":"DuoCircle LLC","url":"https://www.duocircle.com","sameAs":["https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q138883901","https://www.crunchbase.com/organization/duocircle-llc","https://www.linkedin.com/company/duocircle","https://github.com/duocircle"],"subOrganization":[{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q138898167","name":"DMARC Report","url":"https://dmarcreport.com"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q138897474","name":"AutoSPF","url":"https://autospf.com"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q138897912","name":"Phish Protection","url":"https://www.phishprotection.com"}]},"sameAs":["https://www.linkedin.com/company/duocircle","https://x.com/duocirclellc","https://www.facebook.com/duocirclellc","https://github.com/duocircle"],"contactPoint":{"@type":"ContactPoint","contactType":"customer support","url":"https://phishprotection.com/contact/"},"knowsAbout":["Phishing Protection","Email Security","Anti-Phishing","Business Email Compromise","Ransomware Protection","Time of Click Protection","Office 365 Email Security","Advanced Threat Defense"]},"mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://phishprotection.com/blog/ransomware-hits-reason-why-businesses-need-to-adopt-robust-anti-phishing-measures/"},"articleSection":"foundational","keywords":"Phishing","wordCount":1008,"image":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://media.mailhop.org/phishprotection/images/2021/05/Anti-Phishing-Solutions-Statistics-410x1024.png","caption":"Phish Protection blog post image","width":1200,"height":630},"speakable":{"@type":"SpeakableSpecification","cssSelector":[".answer-block","h1"]}}
```

```json
{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https://phishprotection.com/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Blog","item":"https://phishprotection.com/blog/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"Foundational","item":"https://phishprotection.com/foundational/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":4,"name":"Ransomware Hits: The Reason Why Businesses Need To Adopt Robust Anti-Phishing Measures","item":"https://phishprotection.com/blog/ransomware-hits-reason-why-businesses-need-to-adopt-robust-anti-phishing-measures/"}]}
```