These security missteps represent common low-hanging fruit attackers seek to infect companies with ransomware and other costly exploits. Before the pandemic, cloud adoption was already expanding rapidly, and it accelerated even faster once companies had to make urgent changes to their business operations. For example, the Flexera 2021 State of the Cloud Report found that 61% of companies made slightly higher-than-planned cloud investments and 29% made significantly higher-than-planned cloud investments in 2020. However, besides the overnight changes in how companies work, another area witnessed explosive growth: cyberattacks. According to a research study by Deep Instinct, ransomware attacks increased 435% in 2020 compared with 2019, and malware increased 358% during the same period. Additionally, the average ransomware payout has grown to nearly $234,000 per event, according to cybersecurity firm Coveware.