With ransomware attacks on high profile businesses like Colonial Pipeline and JBS Foods in the headlines, HVAC businesses are increasingly asking, “Are we vulnerable too?” or even “Are we next?”

According to the U.S. Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), “Ransomware is an ever-evolving form of malware designed to encrypt files on a device, rendering any files and the systems that rely on them unusable. Malicious actors then demand ransom in exchange for decryption. Ransomware actors often target and threaten to sell or leak exfiltrated data or authentication information if the ransom is not paid.”