🐐Akira Ransomware Is Coming for Small Title Agencies

Here’s How to Avoid Becoming Their Next Victim — Even Without an IT Department

🔐 IC3 Issues a New Ransomware Warning — Title Agencies Are in the Crosshairs

The FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3), along with CISA and federal cybersecurity partners, just issued a joint advisory warning about Akira, a ransomware group actively targeting small and mid-sized businesses. This isn’t a theoretical threat or a big-bank problem. Akira goes after companies that handle money, wiring instructions, contracts, scanned IDs, and sensitive documents, which means title agencies are squarely in the blast radius.

Most title companies don’t have dedicated IT staff, enterprise firewalls, or 24/7 monitoring. That’s exactly why attackers choose them. One employee clicks the wrong link, and suddenly your files are encrypted, your closings are frozen, your escrow data is exposed, and your entire operation is negotiating with criminals.

This IC3 advisory matters because it confirms what many in the title industry already feel: you don’t have to be a big target to be a big payday for ransomware groups.

And the good news? You don’t need a cybersecurity department to protect yourself, just the right playbook.

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🧨 What Title Agencies Need to Know (in Plain English)

Akira doesn’t go after big corporations. It goes after companies like yours.

They target businesses with:

• remote staff

• older computers

• shared passwords

• weak email security

• no dedicated IT person

That describes half the title industry.

If they get in, they lock up your files AND publish your confidential data.

This means:

• access to files is frozen

• closings grind to a halt

• NPI and wiring data can be leaked

• you may owe borrower notifications

• your underwriter will expect answers

This is not theoretical — title agencies have already been hit.

You do NOT need a cybersecurity expert to protect your business.

The advisory actually gives simple steps that any small agency can follow.

Here they are, translated for normal humans:

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🛡️ The “No-IT-Department” Checklist for Title Agencies

Turn on Two-Step Verification everywhere (seriously).

This stops most attacks cold.

Enable it for:

• email

• any system you log into remotely

• your file storage

• title production software (if available)

This is the biggest single thing you can do.

Back up your files — and keep one backup OFFLINE.

Not in the cloud.

Not on the server.

Not on the same network.

A simple external hard drive that gets unplugged after backup is enough. Back up at the end of every day.

If ransomware hits, this is what saves the business.

Update your computers.

Those “restart to update” pop-ups?

Click yes.

Akira specifically breaks into systems that haven’t been updated in a while.

Train your staff on the ONE biggest risk: phishing.

If the staff can spot a fake email, your agency is 90% safer.

Teach them:

• don’t click links from unknown senders

• don’t open attachments you weren’t expecting

• verify wiring instructions by phone

• when in doubt, ask the boss

(This is the training that actually prevents cyber claims.)

Stop sharing passwords.

Every person needs their own login.

Shared logins = shared disaster.

If someone logs in remotely, make sure it’s through a secure method.

Remote access is how this ransomware spreads.

If any employee works from home:

• use a secure login tool

• never “open up” the office computer to the internet

• avoid free remote-desktop apps

When in doubt, ask your software vendor.

Use a Fraud Prevention Platform like Closinglock

Platforms like Closinglock add an essential layer of protection by securing wiring instructions, verifying parties, and locking down the most common point of attack — email. Even small agencies can deploy it without an IT department.

👉Book a Free Demo Here

📢 Hackers Don’t Care About Your Size — Just Your Wire Instructions

This advisory is relevant to you — not because you need to understand the tech, but because small title agencies are exactly who ransomware groups prey on.

The good news:

You can protect your agency with simple, low-cost steps that don’t require an IT department.

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Stay Wicked,
Cheryl

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