Faith-Based Daily Awareness Post 24 June 2024

These updates are shared to help raise the situational awareness of Faith-Based organizations to best defend against and mitigate the impacts from all-hazards threats including physical security, cybersecurity, and natural disasters.

Multiple Faith-Based Organizations Fall Victim to Ransomware

For those who receive the daily ransomware data leak site report from FB-ISAO, you may have noticed several faith-based organizations listed today.

• Word of God Fellowship, Inc. / Daystar Television Network. Broadcast Media Production and Distribution, United States, First seen: 2024-06-23 15:50:29 UTC. This post includes PII such as passport info, drivers licenses, employment paperwork and more. Those have not been shared but see attached for other images.
• Vincent de Paul Catholic School, Education Administration Programs, United States, First seen: 2024-06-17 15:31:17 UTC

Analyst Comments: 

This is a reminder that no organizations are immune from being targeted by ransomware gangs, and smaller organizations with less cybersecurity maturity can be attractive targets. Security Magazine reported last year that almost half of SMBs reported being a ransomware victim. Faith-based organizations are encouraged to review resources like CISA’s Stop Ransomware.

Members may also be interested in reviewing Sophos’ recent State of Ransomware Report  which reveals the real-world ransomware experiences of 5,000 organizations around the globe, from root cause through to severity of attack, financial impact, and recovery time. Based on the findings of a survey of IT/cybersecurity leaders across 14 countries, this year’s report combines year-on-year insights with brand new areas of study. It includes a deep dive into ransom demands and ransom payments, and shines new light on the role of law enforcement in ransomware remediation.

• Attack rates have dropped, but recovery costs have increased
• Having your full estate encrypted is rare
• More than half of victims now pay the ransom
• Ransom payments have soared – but victims rarely pay the initial sum demanded