It only takes the click or tap of a button for people to pay for anything online, anywhere in the world. This makes it that much easier and all the more incentive for cyber criminals to attack.
Don’t assume you’re safe from ransomware by using a smartphone or cloud computing to store documents. Mobile ransomware has risen by over 250% in 2017, and cloud computing is becoming a hot target as well, according to Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Because of vendor defenses and user education, it’s becoming more difficult for cyber criminals to use traditional methods of attack, such as sending mass emails to random individuals. As we’ve seen in 2017 and in 2018, cyber criminals have become much more advanced and creative with their attacks such as using “fileless” attack techniques. Along with more advanced techniques, cyber criminals are beginning to target more profitable targets such as big businesses and high net-worth individuals. This has caused ransom demands to skyrocket, causing huge issues for businesses including hospitals and healthcare organizations (view healthcare ransomware statistics) who need access to files in order to help patients whose lives are potentially on the line.
Without further ado, here are our 12 terrifying ransomware statistics.
Sources:
Symantec – 2017 Internet Security Threat Report
Willis Towers Watson Brace yourselves: Global cyberinsurance demand is coming
Spam Titan – Web-Based Attacks Fall: Ransomware Attacks on Businesses Soar
Red Team Security Consulting – Ransomware Prevention (And Steps To Take If You’re Attacked)
RTE – Ransomware – Questions and answers
The Security Ledger – The Billion Dollar Headache: Sophisticated Ransomware takes aim at Small Business
Computer Weekly – Ransomware to hit cloud computing in 2018, predicts MIT
News Week – Ransomware Attacks Rise 250 Percent in 2017, Hitting U.S. Hardest
Conclusion: What These Statistics Mean for 2019 and Beyond
As you can tell, ransomware in 2019 is not getting easier to manage. The types of threats are evolving, cyber criminals are getting more creative, and the damage is only getting worse. To protect your business and others, not only do you need to ensure your network is protected with up to date hardware and software solutions, but you need to ensure that you report a ransomware attack if your business becomes a victim. Many businesses don’t report cyber crimes because they are unaware of how or where to report a crime, or they don’t think it’s necessary because reimbursement is unlikely. However, it’s incredibly important to report a cyber crimes in order to better protect your business and others in the future from similar attacks.
Do you know what your risk of being attacked with ransomware, malware, or spyware is?
Kraft can help you determine it. In fact, we’re doing it for FREE right now.
