---
title: "Ransomware Attacks Your Organization’s Ability to Function | DuoCircle"
description: "By the time any business is aware that they are the target of a ransomware attack, it’s too late."
image: "https://www.duocircle.com/images/og-default.png"
canonical: "https://www.duocircle.com/blog/phishing-protection/ransomware-attacks-your-organizations-ability-to-function/"
---

Quick Answer

Ransomware reaches its target through email about 91% of the time, usually as spear-phishing impersonating a trusted sender. Once a user clicks the attachment or link, files lock and propagation through mapped drives and forwarded mail can spread the impact across the organization. Because email is the vector, the highest-leverage control is email-layer scanning that blocks malicious URLs and weaponized attachments before delivery. DuoCircle's Advanced Threat Defense Suite handles this with real-time classification, 100% availability against malware and zero-day attacks, 99% spam removal, domain-name spoofing detection, attachment blocking, real-time activity logs, Smart Adaptive Quarantine, and a 30-day MX backup queue. Policy is set centrally through a web console and applies in real time globally.

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![Ransomware Attacks](https://media.mailhop.org/duocircle/images/2018/09/email-sending-services-6382.jpg) 

By the time any business is aware that they are the target of a [ransomware attack](/phishing-protection/ransomware-attacks-will-you-be-ready/), it’s too late. _Once a hacker has breached security and enticed a user to click on a malicious link or attachment_, access to local data on that employee’s computer is locked. In order to unlock the data, a ransom must be paid. In about **91% of cases**, the vector for [ransomware](/phishing-protection/are-you-ready-to-meet-the-threat-of-locky-ransomware/) is incoming email, often in the form of a [spear phishing](/phishing-protection/increased-sophistication-in-phishing-attacks-spells-disaster-for-unprotected-businesses/) attack that purports to be from a sender known and trusted by the victim.

The good news is that relatively simple solutions can be found to combat the threat of [ransomware](/phishing-protection/7-ways-protect-organization-email-based-ransomware-attacks/). Since ransomware is nearly always initiated via email, adopting a strategy that blocks malicious URLs and weaponized attachments is the single most effective means of defense in the fight against ransomware and protection from phishing. DuoCircle’s Advanced Threat Defense is the single most **effective low-cost solution** for organizations seeking to defend against [email phishing prevention](/phishing-protection/the-threat-of-ransomware-is-real/) based threats.

## DuoCircle’s Advanced Threat Defense Suite: Protection Against Ransomware

As previously mentioned, the overwhelming majority of ransomware attacks are delivered as attachments or links within emails.

> The technique used by hackers most often is termed “spear phishing,” the attempt to dupe users by making it appear that the sender of an email is known and trusted to the recipient of the mail.

Most often, ransomware is installed on the user’s computer when they _click on a weaponized attachment or suspicious link within the email._ 

[![email security](https://media.mailhop.org/duocircle/images/2018/09/email-smtp-service-6382.jpg)](/phishing-protection/ransomware-attacks-your-organizations-ability-to-function/attachment/email-smtp-service-6382)

Even though a ransomware attack directly affects only the user that opens it, the entire **organization can suffer**. Often, more than one user will be affected, and if the email is innocently forwarded by the affected employee, the malware can propagate over the corporate network. The challenge is that ransomware attacks grow more sophisticated as corporations become more aware of the problem of [protection against phishing](/phishing-protection/the-threat-of-ransomware-is-real/). Since ransomware is launched via email, defensive strategies must focus on email security. DuoCircle’s Advanced Threat Defense Suite [phishing protection software](/phishing-protection/phishing-is-a-threat-protect-yourself/) is an effective barrier to all forms of email based attack, including ransomware.

Advanced Threat Defense is also **easy to manage**, via a simple web-based console. _Administrators can establish protection policies granularly_, and changes can be made and applied in real time globally. Advanced Threat Defense also provides protection against

- Malware,
- Viruses,
- Phishing and
- Spam

making it the obvious choice for companies wishing to fully protect their organization at a fraction of the cost of other [anti phishing solutions](/phishing-protection/are-you-ready-to-meet-the-threat-of-locky-ransomware/).

## Advanced Threat Defense Stops Ransomware

With Advanced Threat Defense and advanced anti phishing software, DuoCircle protects your employees (and your entire enterprise) from spam, malware, ransomware, phishing, and malicious attachments. Our _sophisticated classification engine detects and defends your entire organization_ against these threats in real-time, and with the highest possible level of accuracy.

[![spam](https://media.mailhop.org/duocircle/images/2018/09/spf-record-6582.jpg)](https://media.mailhop.org/duocircle/images/2018/09/spf-record-6582.jpg)

### Advanced Threat Defense from DuoCircle provides:

- Protection from malware and zero-day attacks, with **100% availability**.
- Spam protection that **eliminates 99% of all incoming spam** with a false positive rate of less than one in ten thousand.
- Unlimited users and unlimited inbound message volume
- Protection against **domain name spoofing**
- Blocking of malicious attachments.
- **Real-time activity logs**, with access to the email queue and click reporting
- **Smart Adaptive Quarantine**, which puts the burden of sorting spam messages on the sender rather than the recipient.
- **A thirty day backup queue**, 30 days of MX backup service included
- Chat, email and phone support is available 24/7

![Brad Slavin](https://media.mailhop.org/dmarcreport/images/team/brad-slavin.jpg) 

Brad Slavin 

General Manager

General Manager at DuoCircle. Product strategy and commercial lead across the email security portfolio.

## Secure your email infrastructure

Protect, authenticate, and deliver. Contact our team to find the right solution.

[Contact Sales](/contact/) [Explore Products](/products/) 

## Related Articles

[  Phishing 11m  AI-Generated Phishing Has Eliminated the Typo: Why Traditional Email Filters Are No Longer Enough  Apr 28, 2026 ](/blog/ai-generated-phishing-eliminates-typos-making-traditional-email-filters-ineffective/)[  Phishing 5m  10 Applications of ChatGPT that Hackers Are Already Exploiting  May 3, 2023 ](/blog/phishing-protection/10-applications-of-chatgpt-that-hackers-are-already-exploiting/)[  Phishing 4m  65% of Global Businesses Ill-Equipped to Defend Against Email-Based Cyber-Attacks  Mar 29, 2016 ](/blog/phishing-protection/65-global-businesses-ill-equipped-defend-email-based-cyber-attacks/)[  Phishing 9m  7 Ways to Protect Your Organization from Email-based Ransomware Attacks  Feb 11, 2018 ](/blog/phishing-protection/7-ways-protect-organization-email-based-ransomware-attacks/)

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