One of the recent research from computer security company Malwarebytes has revealed that ransomware becomes a ubiquitous security threat, with about 40% of all companies experiencing an attack in the past year. In some countries, including the UK, this figure is more than 50%.
Malwarebytes surveyed over 500 companies in 4 countries. According to their findings, over one-third of the ransomware victims lost money in result of the cyber attack. The phenomenon of ransomware is not new but becoming increasingly popular as a method of attacking businesses and non-commercial outfits. Ransomware takes control of a victim’s computer and encrypts all the data on it, thus effectively rendering it inaccessible. The hackers then demand a payment, usually in digital currency, in exchange for the encryption keys.
Ransom demanded varies, but it some cases can be huge: for example, 20% of British businesses were charged over $10,000 to unlock their files, while 3% of the demands exceeded $50,000. The same research suggests that more than 50% of the victims in the UK will eventually pay. At the same time, the figure varies wildly across the globe: 75% of Canadian businesses agreed to pay ransom, while only 3% of American ones did the same. This may be due to the response of police: for example, American law enforcement agencies have been outspoken against companies that decide to pay ransoms. The FBI points out that paying a ransom doesn’t guarantee you will get your data back, as there were cases where businesses never got a decryption key after having paid the ransom. Overall, responses to the attacks differ across the globe, but the one common thread is that ransomware is growing as a threat everywhere.