Ryuk ransomware continues to wreak havoc – and one U.S. state in particular recently suffered from another successful attack that likely could have been prevented. Several school districts and government offices in Louisiana were hit by an attack this summer. Unfortunately, the story was just repeated as several state agencies fell victim to another attack on November 18. In this case, the cyberattack shut down systems in the governor’s office, the Department of Motor Vehicles, the Department of Health, and The Department of Children and Family Services.

Given the Middle East’s rapid ascent as a global technology center, the region has become an attractive, target-rich environment for cybercriminals. In fact, one recent report showed a 12% year-over-year increase in malware attacks in the UAE during the first three months of 2019. With 6,000 resellers promoting and using Acronis technology in the region, the Middle East is becoming one of the fastest-growing markets for Acronis. That’s why we’re hosting this week’s Acronis #CyberFit Summit in Yas Island Rotana, Abu Dhabi, spreading the cyber protection revolution to this flourishing market.

In the wake of the Acronis Global Cyber Summit 2019, there’s been a lot of excitement, as well as some changes at Acronis that have prompted questions from customers, resellers, and our managed service provider (MSP) partners. Most notably, they want to know “Why has Acronis changed the names of your products?” It’s true. During the past month, we’ve been updating the names of nearly all of our solutions to include the word “cyber” – and the addition has caught many people by surprise. So what’s the reasoning behind the change?

The modern world is more dependent upon data than at any time in history. That means safeguarding data – and the applications and systems that rely on data – is vital for individuals and organizations alike. Unfortunately, traditional backup and cybersecurity solutions are no longer enough because they cannot keep up with today’s threats. The world needs modern solutions that can protect data, applications, and systems. Acronis has been advocating a new approach called cyber protection, which combines the best of data protection with innovative approaches to cybersecurity, while incorporating technologies that ensure the privacy and authenticity of data. Let’s explore the basics of cyber protection.