The number of computer users affected by all types of ransomware in the past year grew 17.7 percent over the previous year, up to 2,315,931 users, according to a recent report from Kaspersky Labs, which stated that ransomware has now reached “epidemic” proportions.
“The biggest problem with crypto-ransomware today is that sometimes the only way to get the encrypted data back is to pay the criminals, and victims tend to pay. That brings a lot of money into the underground ecosystem that has grown up around this malware, and as a result we are seeing new cryptors appear almost daily,” said Fedor Sinitsyn, senior malware analyst at Kaspersky Lab.
“Companies and regular users can protect themselves by implementing regular backups, using a proven security solution and keeping themselves informed about current cybersecurity risks. The ransomware business model seems to be profitable and safe for criminals, and the security industry and users can change that just by implementing these basic measures.”
Encryption ransomware attacks showed a “drastic” increase, according to Kaspersky, which found 718,536 users hit between April 2015 and March 2016, up 5.5 times from 131,111 in 2014. Encryption ransomware makes it significantly harder to recover locked files without a special key.
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Erin is the managing editor of Advisen’s Front Page News. She has been covering property-casualty insurance since 2000. Previously, Erin served as editor-in-chief of The Standard, New England’s Insurance Weekly. Erin is based in Boston, Mass. Contact Erin at [email protected].
