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Cybersecurity is a significant concern in this time and age for both businesses and individuals. Cybercriminals often target vulnerable companies for financial gain. In the UK, ransomware attacks are on the substantial rise, with recent evaluations proving that such attacks have shot by 195 percent. This is despite a considerable drop of 21 percent in ransomware attacks in the United States.

The increased ransomware attacks on UK businesses are facilitated by the fact that UK business owners are largely unaware of the potency of such attacks. The 2017 WannaCry ransomware attack was perhaps the largest that the country had ever seen on multiple businesses and organizations. The attack featured a characteristic locking of personal computers. It affected businesses and organizations while the cybercriminals requested for financial ransoms in the form of Bitcoins.

The overall cost of ransomware attacks on UK businesses and organizations by various cybercriminals is substantially high. In 2017, for instance, the WannaCry ransomware attack cost around $100 million, while other subsequent attacks, such as the Norsk Hydro, cost business owners around $40 million.

The trend of holding businesses hostage using ransomware is rising. Cybercriminals are beginning to understand and put to use new tactics that are less programming-intensive and more potent. Though the UK government has been swift in offering aid where necessary, business owners in the UK must understand the various measures they should take to keep themselves ransomware attack-proof.

Simple mechanisms, such as installing and using updated antivirus software, prevent the onset and perpetuation of such attacks on personal computers. This preventive measure should be reinforced by additional strategies, such as using trusted sources of information, especially when it comes to the web.

Business owners and employees should also be trained on the importance of upholding safe web usage practices, such as avoiding downloading or clicking on suspiciously malicious links and files. Training business owners on the broader concept of cybersecurity reinforces the idea of safeguarding business practices from the ever-evolving trend of cyber-attacks.

Cybercriminals may be strategizing and orchestrating even more significant and costly cyber-attacks on UK businesses. This should be sufficient reason to make companies worried about future attacks. Upholding standard practices when it comes to cybersecurity facilitates the prevention of such an attack