Ransomware is no longer just an IT issue—it’s a full-scale business crisis. Cybercriminals are launching increasingly sophisticated attacks, crippling operations, stealing sensitive data and demanding multi-million-dollar payouts. The cost of these attacks isn’t just financial; they also cause severe reputational damage, regulatory penalties and prolonged operational downtime.
A study found that in the first half of 2024, there has been a 56% increase in active ransomware groups. More worryingly, ransomware attacks are not only growing in frequency but also becoming smarter and more sophisticated.
Attackers no longer rely solely on mass phishing campaigns—they now use stealthy, targeted methods to infiltrate networks, evade detection and move laterally to access high-value assets. Even organisations with robust security measures in place find themselves vulnerable to these evolving tactics.
Ransomware: An Evolving Threat
The ransomware landscape has changed dramatically. What was once a crude, indiscriminate attack method has now become a calculated, multi-stage operation. Cybercriminals have shifted their focus from merely encrypting files to stealing and leaking sensitive data, making double extortion a standard practice.
The numbers speak for themselves:
- 70% of malware-related breaches are due to ransomware
- 65% of mid-sized businesses were targeted by ransomware in 2023
- $1 billion+ in ransomware payments were made in 2023—a record high
Beyond the direct financial impact, the fallout from a ransomware attack can be devastating. Organisations face weeks or even months of downtime, lost customer trust and potential legal consequences. In some cases, businesses never fully recover.
How Does Ransomware Work?
Today’s ransomware groups operate like highly organised enterprises, using advanced techniques to maximise damage while evading detection. Their goal is to cripple entire organisations by targeting critical systems, exfiltrating sensitive data, and demanding hefty ransoms.
- Moving laterally
Once inside a network—often through phishing emails, compromised credentials or unpatched vulnerabilities—attackers don’t strike immediately. Instead, they move laterally across systems, silently probing for high-value assets. They exploit open ports, misconfigured network permissions and weak security controls to expand their reach, ensuring they have access to multiple critical systems before launching the ransomware payload.
- Exploiting Privileged Access
Gaining access to admin accounts gives ransomware operators full control over a network. With stolen privileged credentials, attackers can disable security tools, modify system settings and deploy ransomware with administrative rights, making it nearly impossible to stop.
Credential theft techniques, like pass-the-hash and keylogging, allow attackers to escalate their privileges quickly and take over an organisation’s infrastructure.
- Bypassing Endpoint Security
Traditional security measures, such as antivirus and endpoint detection and response (EDR) tools, no longer guarantee defence. Modern ransomware strains use polymorphic malware (which constantly changes its code to evade detection), fileless attacks that run directly in memory and even legitimate system tools like PowerShell and Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) to avoid triggering alarms. Some ransomware variants can disable security software before executing, leaving organisations blind to the attack.
- Ransomware-as-a-Service (RaaS)
Cybercrime has become a business model. With Ransomware-as-a-Service (RaaS), even low-skilled attackers can launch devastating attacks by purchasing pre-built ransomware kits from underground marketplaces. These kits come with easy-to-use dashboards, built-in encryption tools and even customer support, allowing cybercriminals to carry out large-scale attacks without writing a single line of code. This has led to an explosion in ransomware incidents, as even amateur hackers can now deploy sophisticated ransomware with minimal effort.
Locking Down Lateral Movement with Microsegmentation
Microsegmentation is the strongest defence against ransomware lateral movement—it isolates every machine, leaving attackers with nowhere to go.
The problem is that historically, microsegmentation has been complex, expensive and difficult to maintain. Legacy solutions require agents on every asset and manually configured firewall rules, making deployment unrealistic for many organisations.
This is where Zero Networks Segment comes in. It provides military-grade, MFA-enabled microsegmentation without the need for agents. Here’s how it works:
- Learning: In 30 days, Zero Networks monitors all network traffic and builds highly accurate firewall policies
- Segmenting: Policies are centrally applied to host-based firewalls, allowing only necessary traffic
- Applying MFA: Admin ports are blocked by default, only opening with just-in-time MFA verification
The result? A network where ransomware can’t scan for vulnerabilities, move laterally or escalate privileges—effectively neutralising the attack before it begins.
Stopping a Ransomware Attack in Progress
What if an attack is already underway and no segmentation is in place? Manually blocking every compromised system is too slow to be effective. Zero Networks provides an automated response, shutting down ransomware spread in less than 24 hours while keeping most network operations intact.
- 80% of network activity is learned and segmented within the first 24 hours
- MFA is applied to all remaining activity, ensuring no unauthorised movement
- Legitimate traffic continues while security teams refine rules as needed
Instead of weeks of downtime and millions in ransom payments, the organisation in this scenario-maintained business continuity—with Zero Networks stopping the attack in its tracks.
No Gaps, No Ransomware
Ransomware thrives on security gaps. Microsegmentation eliminates them. Whether preventing an attack from happening or shutting one down in real time, Zero Networks provides the automation, accuracy and speed needed to defeat ransomware before it can do damage.
Want to see it in action? Book a demo now to learn how Zero Networks keeps businesses secure—no agents, no manual rules, no open doors for attackers.
