DigitalMint Cyber’s Fireside Chat series is back!



Here’s a recap of the key points from their conversation:

Negotiation Tactics and Trust Building
When negotiating with threat actors, Kayla explained that the approach must be tailored to the specific needs of the client and the situation at hand. “There is no one-size-fits-all strategy,” she noted, stressing the importance of adapting tactics based on the severity of the incident and the client’s unique circumstances.
A key component of successful negotiation, according to Kayla, is building trust—not just with the client but also with the threat actors. Establishing a rapport with attackers can sometimes be critical to securing better terms, and this process is often facilitated by obtaining proof of stolen data or other verifiable threats. She also emphasized the importance of maintaining careful, methodical communication with both the client and the attackers throughout the process.
Ransom demands have been rising steadily, and Kayla shared some alarming statistics. Over the past six months, the average ransom demand has increased to $1.45 million. Despite the higher demands, however, fewer organizations are paying the ransom, largely due to improvements in security controls and better backup systems.
Kayla also observed that negotiating with cybercriminals has become more difficult in recent years. As ransom demands have increased, threat actors have become less willing to reduce their demands, even when victims have strong defenses or the ability to recover their data through backups. “The landscape has shifted,” Kayla said, referring to the growing challenge of negotiating with attackers who are less willing to lower their demands.
Vulnerable Industries and Improving Sectors
Certain industries remain particularly vulnerable to ransomware attacks. Kayla pointed to school districts, municipalities, and healthcare organizations as frequent targets of cybercriminals. These sectors are often slower to adopt robust cybersecurity measures due to budget constraints, outdated systems, or reliance on legacy technology.
On a more positive note, Kayla also highlighted some industries that have been making notable improvements in cybersecurity. Manufacturing and construction, for example, are investing more in network security and proactive measures to defend against cyber threats. As these sectors become more cybersecurity-savvy, they are beginning to see fewer successful attacks.
The Human Element in Cybersecurity
Despite advancements in technical security controls, the human element remains one of the most significant vulnerabilities in cybersecurity. Kayla stressed that employee training is critical to mitigating social engineering attacks, such as phishing and spear-phishing. “Even the best technical defenses can’t protect you if your employees aren’t trained to recognize these threats,” she explained.
Social engineering remains a major vector for cybercriminals, and organizations that don’t invest in ongoing employee training and awareness programs are leaving themselves open to attack. As Kayla pointed out, the human factor continues to be one of the biggest challenges in building comprehensive cybersecurity defenses.
The Future of Ransomware and Cybersecurity
Looking ahead, Kayla expressed the view that ransomware is unlikely to disappear in the near future. “We’ll continue to see ransomware as a significant threat,” she said. While better defenses and improved awareness have made a difference in reducing the impact of these attacks, ransomware remains a persistent problem due to its financial incentives for attackers.
She emphasized that organizations must remain vigilant and continuously update their cybersecurity strategies. “Cybersecurity is an ongoing process,” she said. “As the threats evolve, so must the defenses.”
We look forward to more thought-provoking discussions in future episodes of our Fireside Chat series!

About Kayla Barker & Arctic Wolf:

Kayla Barker is the Director of Incident Response at Arctic Wolf. With several years of experience leading cyber incident response engagements involving ransomware, business email compromise, network intrusion and insider threats, Barker has a keen understanding of how threat actors orchestrate attacks, and how to help victim organizations get back up and running as securely and quickly as possible. Arctic Wolf is a full-service security operations and incident response firm assisting victim organizations of cybersecurity incidents by providing digital forensics, restoration and recovery, threat actor communications, data mining, and dark web monitoring.
Learn more about Arctic Wolf here