It is no secret that cybercrime has been increasing rapidly, but the statistics may surprise you. According to a report released by PhishMe, 2016 saw a massive increase in ransomware, toppling over 2015 by 600%. An article on TechRepublic explains how PhishMe came up with these statistics and what you can do to protect your company.
PhishMe analyzed more than 2,500 phishing attacks in 2016 to determine the tools and techniques most frequently used by cybercriminals.”
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The analysis showed that ransomware grew significantly and quickly, while other forms of malware remained prevalent sources for data theft as well.
Ransomware tools were used in 90% of all collected malware payload URLs identified by PhishMe throughout 2016, leading to estimated losses of more than $1 billion, the report found.”
With ransomware becoming more sophisticated, specifically near the end of 2016, the PhishMe report warns enterprises to expect ransomware to continue to evolve in 2017.
Though ransomware increased dramatically over the last year, many phishing attacks reported in 2016 came from older malware methods, indicating that cybercriminals will fall back on old tricks and use any means necessary to steal private information.
While the spread of ransomware tools dominated industry discussions in 2016, threat actors remained committed to their tried-and-true techniques”
Cybercriminals are looking to maximize their crime and are infiltrating their victim’s environments in hopes that they can steal additional information.
Although large-scale ransomware attacks were brought to light by victims such as hospitals and schools, “quiet malware” also became widespread.
These types of attacks allow cybercriminals to watch the victim over a period of time, assessing their ability to pay a ransom and what amount they can ask for, before deploying the ransomware.”
With ransomware attacks increasing at a rapid rate, it is vital for companies to learn how to protect themselves. Ensuring software is kept up to date, performing daily backups, segmenting networks and making sure employees are properly trained on cybersecurity practices are great ways to protect your company from falling victim to ransomware and becoming another statistic.
