--- title: Your Biggest Threat To GDPR Compliance Might Be A Ransomware Breach description: Your GDPR compliance can depend on defending your EU customers’ personal data against ransomware. This Tale of Two Companies infographic explains why. canonical_url: https://www.acronis.com/en/blog/posts/your-biggest-threat-gdpr-compliance-might-be-ransomware-breach/ locale: en last_updated: 2026-10-27 --- [Acronis Blog](https://www.acronis.com/en/blog/) # Your Biggest Threat To GDPR Compliance Might Be A Ransomware Breach When the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) comes into effect next month, organizations that handle the personal data of any EU citizens – whether you capture it yourself or process it on behalf of another company – will have to get much more serious about protecting it. That includes building robust defenses to protect against security breaches. Your GDPR compliance can depend on defending your EU customers’ personal data against ransomware. This Tale of Two Companies infographic explains why. [Learn More](https://www.acronis.com/en/products/cyber-protect/) [![Image 2: James Slaby](https://staticfiles.acronis.com/images/content/36117e925e5b5e501a197e22a2959987.png)](https://www.acronis.com/en/blog/authors/james-slaby/ "James Slaby") [James Slaby](https://www.acronis.com/en/blog/authors/james-slaby/) 1 min read Last updated 27 November 2019 ![Image 3: Ransomware Can Risk Your GDPR Compliance](https://staticfiles.acronis.com/images/content/f1ec6d112dc2dd4c38c7ac8bf1d4539a.png) Ransomware Can Risk Your GDPR Compliance The imminent activation of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) on 25 May 2018 has many businesses and public institutions scrambling to get their data protection act together. If you handle the personal data of any EU citizens -- whether you capture it yourself or process it on behalf of another company – you have to get much more serious about protecting it. Fail to comply with the new rules, and you risk some seriously nasty fines: €10M-€20M, or 2%-4% of your annual revenue, whichever is greater. Among other requirements, GDPR expects you take build robust defenses to protect against security breaches by bad actors like cybercriminals. If you do suffer a breach, you now have to notify the GDPR authorities and give your customers the bad news quickly. Now consider the news that [ransomware](https://www.acronis.com/en-us/ransomware-protection/) – that notorious malware strain that encrypts your data and holds it hostage for a ransom -- just became the world’s biggest security breach threat [see Verizon 2018 Data Breach Investigations Report]. Put these facts together, and you might conclude that your GDPR compliance depends a lot on how well you defend your EU customers’ personal data against ransomware attacks. To illustrate this point, we put together a tale of two companies that both fall under GDPR regulatory scrutiny: one that pays attention to the ransomware threat -- the other, not so much. As you will see, one picture is much prettier than the other. ![Image 4: Tale of Two Ransomware Attacks Infographic](https://staticfiles.acronis.com/images/content/c1da7398df6e777554f204f66ab0321c.png) Tale of Two Ransomware Attacks Infographic [Cybersecurity](https://www.acronis.com/en/blog/tags/cybersecurity/) [Cyber protection](https://www.acronis.com/en/blog/tags/cyber-protection/) ## Written by ![Image 5: James Slaby](https://staticfiles.acronis.com/images/content/36117e925e5b5e501a197e22a2959987.png) James Slaby [Previous post](https://www.acronis.com/en/blog/posts/data-protection/) [Acronis Notary: a new way to prove data authenticity via Blockchain](https://www.acronis.com/en/blog/posts/data-protection/) [Next post](https://www.acronis.com/en/blog/posts/acronis-backup-stunning-business-world/) [Acronis Backup is Stunning the Business World](https://www.acronis.com/en/blog/posts/acronis-backup-stunning-business-world/) About Acronis Acronis is a leader in AI-native cyber protection, unifying data protection, cybersecurity, IT operations and hybrid infrastructure to deliver business continuity, security and compliance with less cost and complexity. More than 21,000 service providers trust Acronis to protect over 750,000 businesses in 150 countries. Acronis is headquartered in Schaffhausen, Switzerland. [Add as a preferred source on Google](https://google.com/preferences/source?q=acronis.com) ## Related stories Want to learn more? Read the latest stories featuring this solution on our blog. [Acronis Blog](https://www.acronis.com/en/blog/) ![Image 6: stc Bahrain and Acronis partner to bring advanced endpoint security to businesses in Bahrain](https://staticfiles.acronis.com/images/blog-card/9600f3eea83b8f4e168ea6c1409c8c26.png) [stc Bahrain and Acronis partner to bring advanced endpoint security to businesses in Bahrain](https://www.acronis.com/en/blog/posts/stc-bahrain-and-acronis-partner-to-bring-endpoint-security-to-businesses/) We are proud to announce a strategic partnership with stc Bahrain, expanding access to advanced cybersecurity services for businesses across Bahrain. **October 26, 2026**3 min read ![Image 7: Introducing New Acronis CEO: Prakash Panjwani](https://staticfiles.acronis.com/images/blog-card/30cb571f6f1aaa131733e5727a4a250c.png) [Introducing New Acronis CEO: Prakash Panjwani](https://www.acronis.com/en/blog/posts/introducing-new-acronis-ceo-prakash-panjwani/) We are pleased to announce the appointment of our new Chief Executive Officer, Prakash Panjwani. A veteran cybersecurity CEO, Panjwani previously served as CEO of WatchGuard Technologies and SafeNet. **October 15, 2026**2 min read ![Image 8: Acronis expands MDR toward broader workspace protection](https://staticfiles.acronis.com/images/blog-card/18e90e89f5ec4ef0901f19008d4ccbf2.png) [Acronis expands MDR toward broader workspace protection](https://www.acronis.com/en/blog/posts/acronis-expands-mdr-toward-broader-workspace-protection/) Acronis is expanding the MDR service with capabilities that make this expertise easier to deliver and help partners address more risks. The developments build on a broader commitment to managed security: helping service providers protect the connected workspace while giving customers access to the expertise needed to investigate threats, respond effectively and maintain business continuity. **October 13, 2026**6 min read