Ransomware is evolving—and business owners can no longer afford to treat cybersecurity as a back-burner issue. A recent article from Risk & Insurance titled “Ransomware Surges as Third-Party Risks Expand Cyber Threat Landscape” sheds light on a troubling trend: a significant rise in ransomware incidents across industries, driven in large part by expanding third-party and supply chain vulnerabilities.
The article notes that ransomware has not only returned to prominence, but is doing so with alarming precision and adaptability. Attackers are increasingly targeting organizations indirectly—by exploiting their partners, vendors, or managed service providers (MSPs). This shift in tactics is creating a ripple effect that impacts even companies with strong internal security postures.
Let’s dig into what this means for your business—and what you can do to protect it.
Third-Party Risk: The New Front Line
Today’s business environment is more interconnected than ever. From cloud service providers to payroll processors, even small and mid-sized businesses depend on an expanding network of external vendors. While these connections can improve efficiency, they also introduce a complex web of cyber risk.
According to Risk & Insurance, threat actors are capitalizing on this complexity. The 2024 data shows that ransomware attacks are increasingly being launched through third parties—a chilling development, considering many organizations have little visibility into their vendors’ cybersecurity practices.
Cybersecurity experts warn that these supply chain attacks can be devastating. Once inside the network—whether directly or through a third-party foothold—ransomware can encrypt critical files, exfiltrate sensitive data, and bring operations to a standstill. Recovery is costly, time-consuming, and reputationally damaging.
Why Traditional Cyber Defense Isn't Enough
The dominant cybersecurity model today still relies heavily on "Detect and Respond." This approach uses detection tools like antivirus, endpoint detection and response (EDR), and security information and event management (SIEM) to identify threats after they’ve breached a system—and then tries to contain or remediate the damage.
But in the age of ransomware, detection alone is not enough.
The article underscores how attackers are evading detection by using zero-day vulnerabilities, custom malware, and even legitimate software tools to carry out attacks undetected. Many of these tactics bypass traditional defenses entirely or leave defenders racing against the clock to minimize damage after an attack has already succeeded.
Isolation and Containment: A Better Way Forward
It’s time to move beyond the flawed logic of “catching it in time.” What businesses need is a way to stop ransomware from executing in the first place—regardless of whether it’s detected or not.
That’s where AppGuard comes in.
AppGuard is a battle-tested endpoint protection solution with over a decade of proven success, originally developed for U.S. intelligence and defense use. Unlike traditional “detect and respond” tools, AppGuard operates on a fundamentally different philosophy: Isolation and Containment.
Here’s how it works:
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AppGuard stops malicious processes from launching—even if they’ve never been seen before.
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It prevents applications from performing actions they shouldn’t, like injecting code or accessing sensitive files.
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It works silently in the background, with minimal disruption to users and no need for constant signature updates or threat intelligence feeds.
In short, AppGuard prevents the damage before it happens—rather than reacting after it’s too late.
Why Business Owners Should Act Now
If ransomware actors are adapting their tactics, your cybersecurity strategy must adapt too. You can no longer rely on your own perimeter alone; you must account for the vulnerabilities introduced by every partner, vendor, and contractor in your ecosystem.
The Risk & Insurance article makes it clear: the attack surface is growing, and adversaries are finding new ways to exploit it. The best way to protect your business is not to chase the threat after it’s already inside, but to stop it from ever executing.
AppGuard gives you that power.
Talk with CHIPS today about how AppGuard can protect your business from the rising tide of ransomware. Let us show you how moving from “Detect and Respond” to “Isolation and Containment” can make the difference between business as usual and business interrupted.
Don’t wait for a ransomware attack to force your hand—take control now.
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