Ransomware attacks are increasing, Verizon reports
Cyberattacks involving ransomware — in which criminals use malicious software to encrypt a users’ data and then extort money to unencrypt it — increased 50 percent in 2016, Verizon reports.
And criminals increasingly shifted from going after individuals to attacking organizations, the report said. Government organizations were the most frequent target of these ransomware attacks, followed by health care businesses and financial services, according to data from security company McAfee, which partnered with Verizon on the report published Thursday.
Instances of ransomware attacks have grown along with the market for bitcoin, the digital currency that is most commonly how cybercriminals demand ransoms.
While overall most malware was delivered through infected websites, increasingly criminals were turning to phishing — using fraudulent emails designed to get a user to download attachments or click on links to websites that are infected with malware — to carry out attacks. A fifth of all malware raids began with a phishing email in 2016, while fewer than 1 in 10 did the year before, according to the report.
http://www.heraldnet.com/business/ransomware-attacks-are-one-the-increase-verizon-reports/?utm_source=DAILY+HERALD&utm_campaign=d11ac88abd-RSS_EMAIL_CAMPAIGN&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_d81d073bb4-d11ac88abd-228635337
Always a good idea to do a frequent back up.
