Ransomware Facts

[Pixelated Tech]

I received a LanDesk Newsletter with these statistics. More fuel to motivate you to help protect your clients.

These are some seriously scary ransomware statistics…

• Cyber-criminals collected $209 million so far in 2016 by extorting businesses via ransomware - (CNN Money - Cyber-Extortion Losses Skyrocket, says FBI - April 15, 2016)
• Ransomware is on pace to be a $1B crime this year (CNN Money - Cyber-Extortion Losses Skyrocket, says FBI - April 15, 2016)
• Average ransom is between $200 and $5000 (FBI.gov - Ransomware on the Rise, April 2016)
• Nearly 2500 incidents of ransomware reported to the FBI in 2015 (FBI.gov - Ransomware on the Rise, April 2016).
• Around 23% of employees open phishing emails (WIRED - Email Phishing Attacks Take Just Minues to Hit Employees, April 2015)
• Ransoms are getting larger. Including a $17,000 ransom paid by a hospital - (DARKReading - Two Biggest Reasons Ransomware Keeps Winning, March 2016)
• Incidents of ransomware rose by nearly 26% 2015 to 2016 YoY - (FBI.gov - Ransomware on the Rise, April 2016)

Most common victims are hospitals and government entities - (Business Insider - The Hacked Hollywood Hospital Is Not Alone, February 2016)

 

[Porthos]

If this info had the same coverage in the media like the US elections BLM and so on. The scammers would be closer to being shut down. And less would fall victim to it.

This comment/post is NOT to start a political/racial discussion.

 

[Pixelated Tech]

There is so much truth to that.

 

[GTP]

It doesn't matter how many times you try to educate people about the dangers of opening unsolicited email, no matter what/how many mitigations you implement the fact remains that people are STUPID!
They will bypass/turn off security, they will keep trying to open email/documents until something comes out and bites them!
Even then they ask "why can't I open that email?"
If they get a popup on screen they don't even bother to read it because it's in the way and needs to go so they can keep on trying!
Then of course they complain that the computer doesn't work properly!
They ring and say "I got a message about something!" I didn't read it, but now the computer is weird!"
"What did the message say?" "Dunno, something about infected files or blah blah!"
Oh well! Keeps me in business!