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.