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Quiz

Is Your Business a Ransomware Target?

Sophos State of Ransomware research consistently shows that ransomware actors target businesses based on industry, size, and observable security gaps rather than choosing victims randomly. Answer nine questions about your industry, size, MFA coverage, backups, training, endpoint protection, remote access, patching, and cyber insurance to see your ransomware risk profile relative to industry-baseline controls. This is educational, not a prediction that an attack is imminent.

Last updated: May 2026

A ransomware target risk profile assesses how a business compares against the targeting patterns and security gaps that ransomware actors commonly exploit. Risk Profile = (Industry) + (Company Size) + (MFA Coverage) + (Backup State) + (Training) + (Endpoint Protection) + (Remote Access) + (Patching) + (Cyber Insurance). Industry targeting pattern (Sophos data) typically target Lower-target industries (general SMB, retail) with strong controls.

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What is Ransomware Target Risk Profile?

A ransomware target risk profile assesses how a business compares against the targeting patterns and security gaps that ransomware actors commonly exploit. It considers industry, company size, MFA coverage, backup design, security-awareness training, endpoint protection, remote-access security, patching cadence, and cyber-insurance posture. The output is a directional risk profile relative to industry-baseline controls, not a prediction of an attack.

The Formula

Risk Profile = (Industry) + (Company Size) + (MFA Coverage) + (Backup State) + (Training) + (Endpoint Protection) + (Remote Access) + (Patching) + (Cyber Insurance)

Sophos State of Ransomware research consistently identifies industry, observable security gaps, and recovery capability (rather than randomness) as the dominant factors in ransomware targeting and outcomes.

Worked Example

A 120-employee manufacturing business has MFA on critical applications only, untested writable backups, annual training, business antivirus, VPN with MFA, monthly patching, cyber insurance but unclear on controls requirements.

Industry: manufacturing (elevated targeting)
Company Size: 120 (elevated)
MFA Coverage: critical apps only (elevated)
Backup State: untested writable (high risk)
Training: annual (elevated)
Endpoint Protection: business antivirus (elevated)
Remote Access: VPN with MFA (moderate)
Patching: monthly (moderate)
Cyber Insurance: unclear controls (elevated)

📌 Risk profile lands in the elevated-to-high band. This is not a prediction of an attack; it is a description of operational gaps relative to industry-baseline controls. Highest-leverage fixes for risk reduction: complete MFA across every application, move to immutable backups with tested restores, upgrade to EDR plus quarterly awareness training, and confirm cyber-insurance controls requirements. A 90-day remediation with a cybersecurity firm typically closes the highest-leverage gaps.

Why This Matters

Ransomware targeting is patterned, not random

Sophos State of Ransomware research and incident-response practice consistently show that ransomware actors target based on industry, observable security gaps, and visible attack-surface exposure rather than choosing victims randomly. Reducing observable gaps materially reduces targeting attractiveness.

Recovery capability matters as much as prevention

Two businesses with similar risk profiles can have dramatically different outcomes based on recovery capability. Immutable backups with tested restores plus a practiced ransomware-recovery scenario typically reduce recovery time by weeks compared with untested writable backups.

Common Mistakes

❌ Treating risk profile as a prediction of an attack

A risk profile describes operational conditions relative to baseline controls; it does not predict that an attack will happen, is imminent, or is likely on any specific timeline. High-risk profiles can go years without incident; low-risk profiles can still be targeted by sophisticated actors.

❌ Buying ransomware-protection tools without addressing fundamentals

Advanced ransomware-protection tools (deception platforms, ransomware-specific EDR features) add value on top of solid fundamentals; they do not substitute for missing MFA, untested backups, or absent training. The fundamentals come first.

Industry Benchmarks

Category	Good	Average	Poor
Industry targeting pattern (Sophos data)	Lower-target industries (general SMB, retail) with strong controls	Mid-target industries (manufacturing, education, professional services)	High-target industries (healthcare, financial services, government) with weak controls
Backup recovery capability	Immutable plus tested quarterly plus practiced ransomware scenario	Off-site backups with annual tests	Untested writable backups
Cyber insurance posture	Insurance plus all controls requirements met plus annual review	Insurance with most requirements met	No insurance or unclear on requirements

Source: Sophos State of Ransomware Report, Verizon Data Breach Investigations Report, and CISA ransomware advisory publications

Benchmark data sourced from Sophos State of Ransomware Report, Verizon Data Breach Investigations Report, and CISA ransomware advisory publications.

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One of the most common mistakes we see when working with clients: treating risk profile as a prediction of an attack. A risk profile describes operational conditions relative to baseline controls; it does not predict that an attack will happen, is imminent, or is likely on any specific timeline. High-risk profiles can go years without incident; low-risk profiles can still be targeted by sophisticated actors.

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Frequently Asked Questions

What makes a business a higher-likelihood ransomware target?

Sophos State of Ransomware research consistently identifies several factors: industry (healthcare, financial services, government, manufacturing rank higher in published targeting data), company size (above-the-radar size attracts ransomware actors), observable security gaps (no MFA, weak backups, exposed remote access), and lack of an incident-response plan. Higher-risk profiles do not guarantee an attack; lower-risk profiles do not guarantee immunity.

Does this tool predict whether my business will be attacked?

No. This is an educational risk-profile assessment, not a prediction. Ransomware risk depends on operational security controls and observable target patterns relative to industry baselines. The output describes the gap between current controls and baseline best practices; it does not state that an attack will happen, is likely, or is imminent.

What are the most important things a small business can do against ransomware?

Microsoft, Google, CISA, and major MSP community guidance consistently identify a core set: enforce MFA across every employee on every application, maintain off-site immutable backups with quarterly tested restores, run quarterly security-awareness training with simulated phishing, deploy business-grade EDR (not free antivirus), and document a basic incident-response plan with a named lead. These five address the most common ransomware-success paths.

Is cyber insurance enough protection against ransomware?

Cyber insurance covers financial impact (ransom payments where legal, recovery costs, business-interruption), but it does not prevent attacks and increasingly requires specific security controls in place as a precondition for coverage. Insurers commonly require MFA, EDR, backup quality, and incident-response capability before issuing or renewing policies; insurance is part of the strategy, not a substitute for it.

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