By Darren Williams|Last Updated: April 27th, 2026|3 min read|Categories: Press Release|

Cheyenne, Wyoming – October 25, 2021– BlackFog, the leader in on-device data privacy, data security and ransomware prevention, today announced findings from an independent survey of 255 cybersecurity professionals (CIOs, IT managers, CISOs and security managers), exploring attitudes and perceptions surrounding data exfiltration. Most notably, the research reveals data exfiltration remains a significant threat and despite large investments in security tools, organizations are not confident they can stop data exfiltration. In addition to underscoring fundamental problems with the industry’s current approach to security, the study introduces a new category of solutions to win the fight against ransomware: anti data exfiltration (ADX). A summary of findings is also presented in this infographic.

“The exfiltration of personally identifiable information, intellectual property and classified information remains a common theme in a number of cyberattacks and represents a significant threat to organizations across industries,” said Michael Sampson, Senior Analyst, Osterman Research. “Existing tools are no longer a sufficient measure to prevent data exfiltration. Anti data exfiltration provides a new approach in the ongoing fight against cyberattacks.”

Conducted by Osterman Research, the survey highlights the growing importance of preventing data exfiltration, with organizations ranking the current level of importance (73 percent) nearly twice that of 12 months ago (39 percent). Among other findings, the study found:

Large organizations indicated the highest initial (54 percent), current (77 percent) and forecasted (89 percent) levels of importance for preventing data exfiltration
Over the past 12 months,
- 42 percent of organizations have experienced a ransomware attack with no evidence of exfiltration
- 41 percent experienced an employee’s mistake resulting in data exfiltration
- 33 percent experienced a credential theft resulting in data exfiltration
- 31 percent experienced a phishing campaign resulting in data exfiltration
Only two in five respondents (43 percent) were very confident their organization would emerge unscathed from a ransomware attack, with no data exfiltrated.
68 percent of respondents said existing data loss prevention (DLP) tools are difficult to configure, 60 percent said they are difficult to maintain and 51 percent said DLP cannot prevent data exfiltration.

“Despite significant investment in ‘best-in-breed’ security tools (more than 59% of all organizations have from 3-9 tools), it’s clear organizations are still struggling with cyberattacks resulting in data exfiltration. The industry’s current approach to security isn’t working and a new solution is needed,” said BlackFog Founder and CEO, Dr. Darren Williams. “By targeting multiple parts of the kill chain, anti data exfiltration is able to block the activation and spread of cyberattacks. Since cyberattacks – especially ransomware – focus on data theft and extortion, it has become an important technique to thwart modern polymorphic attacks.”

To review the full whitepaper and survey findings, click here.

About BlackFog

BlackFog is the category-defining vendor in anti data exfiltration (ADX). Founded in 2015, the company invented ADX on the thesis that the endpoint is the only control point capable of stopping data from leaving an organization, an architectural bet that has now been validated across three exfiltration vectors: ransomware, shadow AI, and autonomous AI agents. BlackFog’s endpoint-native platform protects more than 500 enterprises, government agencies, and critical infrastructure operators worldwide.

The company is the publisher of the annual State of Ransomware report and the BlackFog/Sapio Shadow AI Research, the most-cited primary research in the category. BlackFog’s recognition includes the teiss Awards 2026, the AI Excellence Award 2026, the Cybersecurity Excellence Awards 2026, and the Cybersecurity Breakthrough Award. Headquartered in San Francisco with international operations in London and Belfast. Learn more at blackfog.com.