Nearly 40% of Ransomware Victims Pay Up to Unlock Their Devices

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Spoiler

 

Trustlook says a big part of ransomware victims pay the fees

 

About 40% of ransomware victims pay to get their devices unlocked as more and more people get affected by such schemes.

 

According to a new research from cybersecurity firm Trustlook, it's not just businesses that are threatened by ransomware, but also random, regular Internet users. The latter, it seems, are easier targets and have fewer resources than major companies to combat criminals, which is why they are the most likely to comply with the demands of these cyber criminals.

 

Trustlook's report indicates that about 17% of consumers have, by this point, been infected with ransomware. 38% of all affected consumers have chosen to pay the ransom, which regularly ranges between $100 and $500, most often than not expressed in Bitcoin. On the other hand, those who have not yet been affected by ransomware present a tough stance, as only 7% say they would pay the fees.

 

The unknown danger

Despite the growing popularity of ransomware among cybercriminals who see it as a way to make a quick buck, nearly half of all consumers have not even heard of ransomware before. Furthermore, 48$ of consumers aren't even worried about becoming a victim of a ransomware attack.

 

On the upside, people seem to be cautious with their data, backing up the files on their computer or mobile device, with only 23% of consumers forgoing this detail.

 

"Backup your data to multiple devices, at to at least one device that is not connected to a network. Also, be cautious of emails by checking the sender's email address before clicking any link," says Allan Zhang, co-founder and CEO of Trustlook.

 

His advice comes in perfectly, especially since most ransomware is spread via email phishing schemes. When it comes to mobile ransomware, installing apps from the main app stores instead of going to third-party stores should do the trick. While some infected apps sometimes pass under the radar of Google, for instance, the instances are rare.

 

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