Channel should use AI to fight ransomware threat

The rise of ransomware as a service (RaaS) has increased the risks for SMEs, many of which continue to believe that their size excludes them from being the target of cyber criminals.

Recent weeks have seen high-profile attacks against organisations that work with the NHS and cloud platform providers. But the threat to SME-sized operations continues, with services making it easier for criminals looking to launch an attack.

“While business leaders might think their relatively smaller businesses are safe due to being fewer valuable targets, in reality, attackers understand that a smaller business is more likely to pay for attackers to leave them alone and has a weaker security posture to exploit,” said Mark Appleton, chief customer officer at ALSO Cloud UK.

“You can pay in the hopes that your attacker moves on quicker, but instead, this is signalling you’re ready to pay over and over per successful ransomware attempt.”

The channel the place users turn to looking for help, and Appleton said Copilot is a tool that could be used by the channel to counter the use of AI tools in generating ransomware attacks.

“With the power that Copilot is givingRaaS, there is an equal if not greater opposing solution to preventing it. The tools are available in the hands of MSPs, and just require the right expert to integrate into SME security ecosystems,” he said.

“Security training does not necessarily require an additional dozen hoops to jump through to coordinate successfully. In entrusting SME security to trusted security partners – always on hand to help and available via partnerships with cloud marketplaces – SMEs can rely on expert help at the click of a button,” he added.

That sense that AI tools must be used to counter evil led Appleton to encourage more channel investigations into what was emerging to help defend SMEs.  

“Resources are there to combat the rise in ransomware, and with the development and integration of Copilot tools, suddenly SMEs have an additional pair of hands in their security team,” he said.

“Generative AI undoubtedly has launched a new wave of ransomware threats. It holds the answer to defending against those same attacks as well, going one step further in being able to more easily and proactively prevent crippling cyber attacks before they can occur. Finding the right expert that has all the knowledge and tools in one place is the first step for any SME looking to safeguard their operations and survive the current security landscape,” he added.

Earlier, Thales shared the findings from its 2024 Data threat report that looked at the challenges being faced by critical infrastructure (CI) organisations. Although the firm quizzed larger organisations, there were similar themes to the SME customer base, with Thales advising users to adopt emerging technologies to combat threats.

“By operating complex, highly diverse, and inter-dependent technologies, the range of risks on the table is also diverse,” said Tony Burton, managing director of cyber security and trust at Thales UK.

“This report highlights the need for CI organisations to take proactive measures to build cyber resilience across their distributed operations, addressing human error, ransomware, compliance, and access management concerns. Emerging technologies, if leveraged appropriately, will ultimately provide greater efficiencies and security on these fronts.”

The Thales report revealed that more than two-fifths of CIs have suffered a breach in the past year, and ransomware was on the rise. Just shy of a quarter of those firms quizzed by Thales reported they were victims of ransomware in the past year and 11% paid out the ransom.

“Critical national infrastructure operates across countless industries – from the utilities that households and businesses rely upon, to the telecommunications and transport systems that keeps society running. Needless to say, CI organisations face very tangible consequences should a breach be successful,” said Burton.