Cybersecurity Awareness: Ransomware

Ransomware is no longer just a technical problem—it's a business risk that touches most every employee. This course explores how ransomware attacks have evolved, from opportunistic encryption to AI-assisted, multi-extortion campaigns targeting supply chains and critical infrastructure. Use this course to gain the knowledge to be able to recognize threats and organizational risk, and take action before, during, and after an attack.

Learning objectives
Explain how the modern ransomware ecosystem operates, including RaaS platforms, initial access brokers, and affiliate models.
Recognize how AI-assisted tactics—such as AI-generated phishing and vishing—are lowering the barrier for ransomware attacks.
Identify the data types, industries, and organizational entry points most targeted by ransomware threat actors.
Describe the stages of a modern ransomware attack chain and the controls most effective at disrupting each stage.
Distinguish between encryption-based, double-extortion, and encryption-less ransomware attacks and explain the implications for recovery.
Apply a response framework when a ransomware incident is suspected, including escalation, communication, and reporting steps.
Recognize how third-party vendors and supply chain relationships expand organizational ransomware exposure.