Speaker 1: Welcome to our deep dive. And today we're going to
Speaker 1: be looking into cyber extortion, specifically ransomware, and we're going
Speaker 1: to be using excerpts from the book Ransomware and Cyber
Speaker 1: Extortion Response and Prevention to kind of guide our exploration.
Speaker 1: Sounds interesting, Yeah, it's pretty wild actually. I mean some
Speaker 1: of these stories are just crazy. For instance, right out
Speaker 1: of the gate, they open with this story about this
Speaker 1: law firm and they got a voicemail from hackers demanding
Speaker 1: one point two million dollars. Oh, and these hackers had
Speaker 1: stolen five hundred gigle buys of data, client files, payroll,
Speaker 1: EHR records, you name it.
Speaker 2: They took it and then they encrypted it.
Speaker 1: Oh yeah, encrypted everything totally unusable.
Speaker 2: So how much did it end up costing them? I mean,
Speaker 2: besides the one point too?
Speaker 1: Well, that's the thing. The financial impact can be really crippling.
Speaker 1: It's not just the ransom, it's business disruption, potential lawsuits
Speaker 1: from clients whose data was compromised, oh, legal fees, the
Speaker 1: cost of recovering the data, implementing new security measures to
Speaker 1: prevent future attacks. It all adds up, it really does.
Speaker 1: And actually, the average cost of a ransomware attack in
Speaker 1: twenty twenty one was one point eight five million dollars.
Speaker 2: Oh really, Yeah, so that's just the average.
Speaker 1: Yeah, and that doesn't even include data breaches. If there's
Speaker 1: a data breach involved, that number goes up to four
Speaker 1: point sixty two million. Wow. Yeah, it's pretty scary stuff.
Speaker 1: But it gets even worse. These hackers they didn't just
Speaker 1: encrypt the data. They threatened to contact the law firms
Speaker 1: clients directly and leak sensitive information if the ransom wasn't paid.
Speaker 1: Oh wow, So you can imagine the kind of panic
Speaker 1: that would cause.
Speaker 2: Yeah, that's crazy.
Speaker 1: So before we go any further, I think we should
Speaker 1: define what cyber extortion actually is. The book outlines four
Speaker 1: main categories exposure, modification, denial info. Okay, so exposure, like
Speaker 1: in the case of the law firm, involves sealing data
Speaker 1: and threatening to release it publicly. Modification, on the other hand,
Speaker 1: is when hackers actually change your data, like maybe changing
Speaker 1: financial records or campering with sen set of information for
Speaker 1: their own game.
Speaker 2: That's scary because even if you could restore your data
Speaker 2: from a backup, you would never be totally sure that
Speaker 2: it was accurate exactly.
Speaker 1: And that could lead to some serious legal and reputational issues.
Speaker 1: Then there's denial, which is basically about shutting down your
Speaker 1: operations completely, so like ransomware that encrypts your whole system,
Speaker 1: or you know those ddalls attacks that flood your website
Speaker 1: with traffic and knock you offline. So that's why it's
Speaker 1: so important to have really good backup and recovery strategies.
Speaker 1: If you have a plan in place to restore your
Speaker 1: systems quickly, you can at least minimize the impact of
Speaker 1: a denial attack.
Speaker 2: That makes sense.
Speaker 1: Yeah, it's kind of like having a spare tire in
Speaker 1: your car. Hopefully you never need it, but when you do,
Speaker 1: you're really glad you have it. And then finally there's foe,
Speaker 1: which is more of a deceptive tactic. It might look
Speaker 1: like a serious attack, but in reality it's more of
Speaker 1: a distraction, maybe to divert your attention while something else
Speaker 1: is going on in the background.
Speaker 2: So you have to be really careful to figure out
Speaker 2: what's really going on.
Speaker 1: Yeah, you don't want to jump to conclusions. We got
Speaker 1: to take the time to understand the nature of the
Speaker 1: attack and what the attacker's real motives are.
Speaker 2: Like solving a puzzle exactly.
Speaker 1: Okay, because we've got the different types of cyber extortion down,
Speaker 1: But why is this such a huge problem. I mean,
Speaker 1: it's not like these attacks are new, right.
Speaker 2: Well, you're right, cyber extortion has been around for a while,
Speaker 2: but there are a couple of things that have changed
Speaker 2: recently that have made it much more profitable for criminals.
Speaker 1: I have a feeling I know where this is going.
Speaker 2: Cryptocurrency, you got it, especially Bitcoin, It's been a game
Speaker 2: changer for cyber criminals.
Speaker 1: Hel soo.
Speaker 2: Well, it provides a way to get paid that's almost
Speaker 2: impossible to trace, and it's irreversible, so it's like.
Speaker 1: The perfect payment system for criminals pretty much. So you've
Speaker 1: got desperate victims willing to pay to get their data back,
Speaker 1: a payment system that makes it nearly impossible to track
Speaker 1: the criminals, and the potential for huge profits. It's no
Speaker 1: wonder this has become such a widespread.
Speaker 2: Issue, exactly. And what's even more concerning is that it's
Speaker 2: not just a few loan hackers working out of basements anymore.
Speaker 2: Oh really, Yeah, it's become much more sophisticated. Cyber extortion
Speaker 2: is now an industry with a well defined business model.
Speaker 1: So like digital organized crime.
Speaker 2: Basically, these cyber extortion groups operate just like any other
Speaker 2: criminal enterprise. They have specialists for every stage of the attack.
Speaker 1: I actually read about that in the book. It's kind
Speaker 1: of fascinating in a disturbing way to see how organized
Speaker 1: they are.
Speaker 2: Yeah, tell me about it.
Speaker 1: So you've got your initial access brokers. They're like digital
Speaker 1: lock picks, stealing logging credentials and selling them to the
Speaker 1: highest bidder.
Speaker 2: And then you've got the ransomware developers.
Speaker 1: Right, the masterminds behind the malicious software. And then of
Speaker 1: course you've got the negotiators. They handle the ransom demands,
Speaker 1: often using psychological tactics to pressure victims into paying.
Speaker 2: Wow, so they really have thought of everything.
Speaker 1: Yeah, and then you've got money launderers. They're responsible for
Speaker 1: cleaning the dirty money.
Speaker 2: It really is like a well oiled machine.
Speaker 1: It is, and it's pretty scary to think that there
Speaker 1: are people out there whose only job is to figure
Speaker 1: out how to exploit weaknesses and extort money from innocent
Speaker 1: people and businesses. Do you remember that group, the Dark
Speaker 1: Overlord pdo? Yeah, vaguely, you were back in twenty sixteen. Yeah, okay,
Speaker 1: they were one of the first to combine ransomware with
Speaker 1: data exposure.
Speaker 2: What does that mean?
Speaker 1: Well, it interes encrypt data. They stole it and threatened
Speaker 1: to release it publicly if they didn't get paid. Oh wow,
Speaker 1: And they targeted everyone, businesses, individuals, even a school district
Speaker 1: in Iowa.
Speaker 2: What did they do to the school?
Speaker 1: They not only encrypted their systems, but they sent threatening
Speaker 1: text messages directly to the parents. Oh my gosh, Yeah,
Speaker 1: it's awful. Imagine being one of those parents.
Speaker 2: I can't even imagine.
Speaker 1: It really shows how these attacks can have a huge
Speaker 1: impact on individuals, not just organizations. Yeah, scary and sadly,
Speaker 1: Tedo's tactics were just the beginning. What do you mean, Well,
Speaker 1: they paved the way for even more sophisticated groups like May's.
Speaker 1: What did they do well, they kind of took this
Speaker 1: double extortion model to the next level. The book talks
Speaker 1: about how they attacks Southwire. They're cable manufacturers, okay, and
Speaker 1: Mayze demanded six million dollars from them, and when south
Speaker 1: Wire refused to pay, what happened? They dumped all the
Speaker 1: data they had stolen online. So it's not just about
Speaker 1: getting the ransom anymore, it's about causing as much damage
Speaker 1: as possible and exploring every avenue for profit.
Speaker 2: It makes it so much harder to decide whether to
Speaker 2: pay the ransom or not.
Speaker 1: It really does. But how do these attacks even happen
Speaker 1: in the first place. What's the most common way these
Speaker 1: criminals get in.
Speaker 2: Well, one word comes to mind, phishing.
Speaker 1: You mean those emails that try to trick you into
Speaker 1: clicking on links or downloading infected attachments, exactly.
Speaker 2: And while some of them are obvious, others are really sophisticated,
Speaker 2: designed to look like they're from your bank or a
Speaker 2: store you shop at, or even your own coworkers. Wow,
Speaker 2: and just one click can give them access to your
Speaker 2: whole system, So like a digital trojan horse pretty much.
Speaker 1: And once they're in, that's it.
Speaker 2: Well, not necessarily, but to understand how to prevent these attacks,
Speaker 2: you need to understan how they work. The cyber attack
Speaker 2: kill chain. The kill chain, it's basically a series of
Speaker 2: steps that attackers usually follow.
Speaker 1: Okay, So what's step one.
Speaker 2: Entry That's how they get into your system in the
Speaker 2: first place. Like we said, it could be through a
Speaker 2: phishing email or maybe by exploiting a weakness in a
Speaker 2: remote access system.
Speaker 1: Okay, So they're in What's next expansion.
Speaker 2: That's where they move through your network, stealing credentials, disabling
Speaker 2: security software, basically trying to get as much control as possible.
Speaker 1: Like digital spies exactly. So what happens once they have control.
Speaker 2: That's when they move onto the priming stage. This is
Speaker 2: where they identify high value targets, steal data, and get
Speaker 2: ready for the main event, which yes, detonation. That's when
Speaker 2: they unleash the ransomware, encrypting files and demanding a ransom
Speaker 2: to restore access.
Speaker 1: And by this point they've already stolen data, so even
Speaker 1: if you pay the ransom, you're still at risk of
Speaker 1: having that data leaked.
Speaker 2: Exactly.
Speaker 1: It's a double Whammie actually mentions this veterinary clinic that
Speaker 1: got hit by ransomware. Oh no, and you want to
Speaker 1: know how it started? How a phishing email disguised as
Speaker 1: a shipping notification.
Speaker 2: Oh those are so easy to fall for.
Speaker 1: I know, right, you're expecting a package, you see that
Speaker 1: email and you just click without thinking. It's so sneaky,
Speaker 1: And that's exactly what happened to the receptionist at the clinic.
Speaker 1: Oh no, she clicked the link and ransomware Wow, it
Speaker 1: spread through their whole network.
Speaker 2: It's amazing how easily it can happen, it really is.
Speaker 1: So what happens if, despite our best efforts, we find
Speaker 1: ourselves in the middle of a ransomware attack? What do
Speaker 1: we do?
Speaker 2: That's where incident response comes in. Having a plan in
Speaker 2: place before an attack is crucial, so like.
Speaker 1: A fire escape plan, but for our data exactly. So
Speaker 1: what does that look like?
Speaker 2: You need to know who's in charge, how to communicate,
Speaker 2: what your insurance covers, and most importantly, how to make
Speaker 2: decisions quickly under pressure.
Speaker 1: Because every second counts exactly, the longer they're in your
Speaker 1: system than or damage they can do.
Speaker 2: A good incident response plan should have steps for containment, investigation,
Speaker 2: and recovery.
Speaker 1: Okay, So containment sounds like damage control, right, What does
Speaker 1: that involve?
Speaker 2: Basically stopping the bleeding, halting the encryption, preventing any more
Speaker 2: data from being stolen, resolving any denial of service attacks,
Speaker 2: and locking the attackers out of your systems.
Speaker 1: So basically kicking them out exactly. Okay, and then what
Speaker 1: about investigation.
Speaker 2: That's about understanding how bad the attack is, who are
Speaker 2: the attackers, how did they get in, what data did
Speaker 2: they take. We need to know those things to be
Speaker 2: able to stop the damage and prevent future attacks.
Speaker 1: Okay, and then there's recovery, right, getting things back up
Speaker 1: and running.
Speaker 2: Yeah, restoring your data and rebuilding your defenses.
Speaker 1: That sounds like a lot of work.
Speaker 2: It can be. It's not just about restoring data from backups.
Speaker 2: It's about rebuilding trust with your customers and reviewing your
Speaker 2: security practices.
Speaker 1: Okay. So let's say we've done everything right, We've got
Speaker 1: a great incident response plan, but we still end up
Speaker 1: with a ransom day. Man, do we pay? Do we fight?
Speaker 2: That's a tough question, it is. There are pros and
Speaker 2: cons to both.
Speaker 1: The book actually talks about a company that was hit
Speaker 1: by a group called Twisted Spider. Okay, and Twisted Spider
Speaker 1: was known for targeting companies with good cyber insurance policies.
Speaker 1: Oh wow, Yeah, they were really sophisticated. They did their research,
Speaker 1: they knew who to target.
Speaker 2: So what happened to this company?
Speaker 1: Well, there's cyber insurance ended up paying a six hundred
Speaker 1: thousand dollars ransom.
Speaker 2: Wow.
Speaker 1: Yeah.
Speaker 2: Does that mean it's a good idea to pay?
Speaker 1: That's a tough question. Yeah, it raises a lot of
Speaker 1: ethical questions like does paying the ransom just encourage more attacks?
Speaker 1: Does it make cyber insurance less effective?
Speaker 2: Yeah? Those are good questions.
Speaker 1: Yeah, there are no easy answers. And even if you
Speaker 1: do pay, there's no guarantee that you'll get your data back. Really, yeah,
Speaker 1: you're basically trusting criminals to keep their work.
Speaker 2: That's risky, it is.
Speaker 1: And even if they do give you a way to
Speaker 1: decrypt your data, there's no way to know if they've
Speaker 1: left something behind, like what like some kind of malware
Speaker 1: or a back door that lets them back in later.
Speaker 2: Oh wow, So you could end up paying and still
Speaker 2: be in trouble.
Speaker 1: Exactly, And even if you do manage to recover your data,
Speaker 1: the damage isn't over.
Speaker 2: What do you mean?
Speaker 1: Well, the book talks about the long term consequences of
Speaker 1: a cyber extortion attack, like what like damage to your reputation, oh, lawsuits,
Speaker 1: regulatory investigations, and the ongoing cost of improving your security.
Speaker 2: It's like a digital hangover that can last for years.
Speaker 1: It really is. So I guess the big question is
Speaker 1: what's the most important thing our listeners should take away
Speaker 1: from all of this?
Speaker 2: Well, I think the most important thing is that prevention
Speaker 2: is key. The best defense against cyber extortion is a
Speaker 2: strong cybersecurity.
Speaker 1: Program, and how do we do that.
Speaker 2: Well, that's what we're going to talk about in part two.
Speaker 2: Tune Welcome back to our deep dive on cyber extortion.
Speaker 2: Last time, we talked about how scary these attacks can be,
Speaker 2: but now we're going to shift gears a bit and
Speaker 2: talk about how to fight back.
Speaker 1: You're hearing all those real world examples in part one.
Speaker 1: I was already to throw my computer out the window.
Speaker 2: I know it can be overwhelming, but the good news
Speaker 2: is there are things you can do to protect yourself. Okay,
Speaker 2: good and you don't have to be a tech expert
Speaker 2: to do them.
Speaker 1: So what's the most important thing?
Speaker 2: Multi factor authentication. It's an extra layer of security for
Speaker 2: your online accounts.
Speaker 1: So it's like instead of just a username and password, Yeah,
Speaker 1: you need something else too, like a code from your
Speaker 1: phone or a fingerprint.
Speaker 2: Scam exactly that way, even if someone gets your password,
Speaker 2: they still can't get into your account.
Speaker 1: Okay, So multi factor authentication is a must.
Speaker 2: Absolutely. We els strong unique passwords for every account.
Speaker 1: I know, I know, I know it's a pain, it is,
Speaker 1: but it's so important.
Speaker 2: Because if one account gets compromised, they can get into
Speaker 2: all of them exactly. Okay, So how long should a
Speaker 2: password be?
Speaker 1: At least twelve characters uppercase in lowercase letters, numbers, and symbols.
Speaker 2: Okay, and no birthdays or pet names. But how am
Speaker 2: I supposed to remember all of those passwords?
Speaker 1: That's where a password manager comes in.
Speaker 2: Okay, what's that?
Speaker 1: It's basically a digital vault that stores all your passwords
Speaker 1: for you. You just have to remember one master password to
Speaker 1: unlock the vault.
Speaker 2: Okay, that makes sense.
Speaker 1: And most password managers can even generate strong passwords for
Speaker 1: you so you don't have to come up with them yourself.
Speaker 2: Okay, so password manager is on the list too, definitely.
Speaker 2: What else?
Speaker 1: Be careful about phishing emails? Remember those are one of
Speaker 1: the most common ways attackers get in.
Speaker 2: So how can we avoid falling for them? Always double
Speaker 2: check the sender's email address, look for misspellings or anything
Speaker 2: that seems off, and hover over links before you click
Speaker 2: on them to see where they really go.
Speaker 1: Oh that's a good tip.
Speaker 2: Yeah, And never open attachments from people you don't know, okay,
Speaker 2: And if something feels weird, just don't click.
Speaker 1: Trust your gut exactly. What about software updates? Those are
Speaker 1: so annoying, I know, but they're important. Why.
Speaker 2: They often include security patches that fix vulnerabilities.
Speaker 1: So if I don't do them, I'm leaving myself open
Speaker 1: to attack.
Speaker 2: Basically, it's like leaving your front door unlocked.
Speaker 1: Okay, no more procrastinating on updates. Good? What about backups?
Speaker 2: Backups are your lifeline if something goes wrong, if your
Speaker 2: data gets encrypted or stolen, a backup can save you.
Speaker 1: It's like having an extra copy of everything just in
Speaker 1: case exact. So how often.
Speaker 2: Should we back up regularly? And store your backups in
Speaker 2: a separate location like an external hard drive or a
Speaker 2: cloud storage service, and make sure you test your backups
Speaker 2: regularly to make sure they're working properly. Yeah, you don't
Speaker 2: want to find out they're not working when it's too late.
Speaker 1: Okay. So we've covered strong passwords, multi factor authentication, phishing awareness,
Speaker 1: software updates, and backups. Is that everything?
Speaker 2: It's a good start, But for larger organizations they need
Speaker 2: a more comprehensive approach, like what Well, they need to
Speaker 2: think about cybersecurity as a multi layered system. Okay, So
Speaker 2: the first layer is knowing what you need to protect
Speaker 2: what data is most important? Where are the points in
Speaker 2: your systems?
Speaker 1: Okay, so like taking inventory? And then one then you
Speaker 1: need to put security controls in place, like firewalls to
Speaker 1: block unauthorized access and intrusion detection systems to monitor for
Speaker 1: suspicious activity. Okay, and you need to make sure your
Speaker 1: employees are trained on cybersecurity best practices.
Speaker 2: So it's not just about the technology, it's about the
Speaker 2: people too, exactly, because people make mistakes.
Speaker 1: Everyone does.
Speaker 2: So what's the best way to train employees?
Speaker 1: Well, there are lots of options. You can have in
Speaker 1: person training, online courses, even simulated phishing attacks so you
Speaker 1: could see how they would react in a real situation exactly. Okay,
Speaker 1: so training is important, it is. But what if all
Speaker 1: of this is just too much for a company to
Speaker 1: handle on their own.
Speaker 2: That's when you might want to think about hiring a cybersecurity.
Speaker 1: Professional like a consultant.
Speaker 2: Yeah, they can help you assess your risks and develop
Speaker 2: a security program that's right for your organization.
Speaker 1: Okay, that makes sense.
Speaker 2: And they can also help you respond to an attack
Speaker 2: if one happens.
Speaker 1: Because even with the best defenses in place, some attacks
Speaker 1: are still going to get through. That's right. So incident
Speaker 1: response is still important absolutely. What does a good incident
Speaker 1: response plan look like?
Speaker 2: It should outline clear roles and responsibilities, communication protocols, escalation procedures,
Speaker 2: and steps for containment, investigation, and recovery.
Speaker 1: So it's like a roadmap for dealing with an attack exactly,
Speaker 1: and it needs to be tested.
Speaker 2: Regularly, right, just like a fire drill.
Speaker 1: Okay, so we've covered a lot of ground we have.
Speaker 1: Can you give us a quick recap of the key takeaways?
Speaker 2: Sure, use multi factor authentication, strong passwords, be careful about
Speaker 2: phishing emails, keep your software updated, have a good backup system,
Speaker 2: and consider hiring a cybersecurity professional.
Speaker 1: That's a lot to remember.
Speaker 2: It is, but it's all important.
Speaker 1: I think the most important thing is to be aware
Speaker 1: of the risks, I agree, and to take steps to
Speaker 1: protect yourself absolutely, and to remember that you're not alone.
Speaker 2: That's right.
Speaker 1: There are resources available to help exactly, so don't be
Speaker 1: afraid to ask for help. Welcome back to our deep dive.
Speaker 1: It's the fine part. And we've talked about how these
Speaker 1: attacks work and the people involved and how to protect ourselves.
Speaker 1: Now I kind of want to talk about what happens
Speaker 1: after an attack. Even if you get your data back,
Speaker 1: what are the long term effects?
Speaker 2: Yeah, that's important. I think people often overlook the psychological impact.
Speaker 2: Oh yeah, on both individuals and organizations.
Speaker 1: Right, it's not just about systems and data. It's about
Speaker 1: trust and reputation and that feeling of violation, like having
Speaker 1: your personal space invaded. Even if nothing is physically stolen,
Speaker 1: you still feel vulnerable.
Speaker 2: Yeah, you feel exposed.
Speaker 1: And in the digital world it's even worse because your
Speaker 1: data is out there and who knows what these criminals
Speaker 1: are going to do with it.
Speaker 2: It's a loss of control and that can be really unsettling.
Speaker 1: The book talks about this school district that was attacked.
Speaker 1: Oh yeah, and not only did they encrypt their systems,
Speaker 1: but they stole sensitive student data, medical records, discipline files.
Speaker 1: Oh wow, it's awful. That's terrible because it's not just
Speaker 1: about the organization anymore. It's about these kids, right, and
Speaker 1: their information could be used for identity theft or blackmail.
Speaker 2: It puts the school in a terrible position.
Speaker 1: It does. Do they pay the ransom and risk funding
Speaker 1: criminal activity, or refuse to pay and risk having their
Speaker 1: students data leaked.
Speaker 2: There are no easy answers.
Speaker 1: There aren't.
Speaker 2: It's a really complex ethical dilemma.
Speaker 1: And then there's the legal side of things. Data breaches,
Speaker 1: reporting requirements.
Speaker 2: It's a minefield. It is a lot of places have
Speaker 2: laws that require organizations to report data breaches, So.
Speaker 1: If you don't report it, you can get in trouble.
Speaker 2: Big trouble, fines, lawsuits.
Speaker 1: And of course damage to your reputation.
Speaker 2: And even if you're not legally required to report a breach,
Speaker 2: it might still be the right thing to do ethically, especially.
Speaker 1: If it involves sensitive personal information.
Speaker 2: So transparency is important.
Speaker 1: It is.
Speaker 2: It's about being honest with the people who were affected.
Speaker 1: And taking responsibility.
Speaker 2: But even if you do everything right, there's still going
Speaker 2: to be some damage.
Speaker 1: That's true.
Speaker 2: Cyber extortion can really hurt a company's reputation.
Speaker 1: Yeah, it could make it hard to win back customer.
Speaker 2: Trust, and it can have a big impact on their finances.
Speaker 1: That's why incident response is so important.
Speaker 2: It's not just about recovering from the attack. It's about
Speaker 2: managing the public relations fallout exactly. You need to communicate effectively,
Speaker 2: address people's concerns, and show that you're learning from your mistakes.
Speaker 1: It's about regaining control and rebuilding trust.
Speaker 2: What about law enforcement? Are they doing anything to catch
Speaker 2: these criminals?
Speaker 1: Oh? Yeah, law enforcement agencies all over the world are
Speaker 1: working on this. Are they making any progress?
Speaker 2: They are, But it's tough. These criminals are often in
Speaker 2: countries with weak cyber crime laws.
Speaker 1: Or where they're protected by corrupt officials exactly. So it's
Speaker 1: an uphill battle, it is.
Speaker 2: But there have been some big wins, some high profile arrests,
Speaker 2: takedowns of major ransomware gangs.
Speaker 1: The book mentioned some new strategies. They're using cryptocurrency tracing,
Speaker 1: oh and sanctions.
Speaker 2: Yeah, they're trying to cut off the flow of money.
Speaker 1: Is it working.
Speaker 2: It's hard to say. It's still early, but it's a
Speaker 2: step in the right direction.
Speaker 1: So what's the future of cyber extortion? Is it just
Speaker 1: going to keep getting worse?
Speaker 2: I don't think so. I think we're making progress. Well.
Speaker 2: More and more people are aware of the threat. That's good,
Speaker 2: and companies are investing more in cybersecurity, and law enforcement
Speaker 2: is getting better at catching the criminals.
Speaker 1: So there's hope there is. That's good to hear. So
Speaker 1: just to recap cyber extortion is a serious problem, but
Speaker 1: it's not insurmountable prevention is key, have a plan in place,
Speaker 1: understand the risks, and remember that knowledge is power. I agree,
Speaker 1: the more we know about cyber extortion, the better we
Speaker 1: can protect ourselves in our businesses exactly, and that wraps
Speaker 1: up our deep dive into the world of cyber extortion.
Speaker 1: We hope you found it informative and maybe even a
Speaker 1: little bit empowering. Remember, stay vigilant, stay informed, and stay
Speaker 1: safe out there and join us next time for another
Speaker 1: deep dive into a fascinating and important topic.