ENRansomware distribution has seen exponential growth during 2016. A study from IBM Security found that Ransomware was in almost 40 percent of spam messages in 2016. In total, there was an increase of 500% in malware spread. There are various methods used to distribute malware, but ransomware is mostly, distributed through email links and attachments.
According to a study from Barkly, on average, ransomware infects 30,000 to 35,000 devices per month. These numbers do not include Trojan versions of ransomware, in March 2016, Trojan types infected 56,000 devices, including Macs.
Ransomware victims are paying more
Ransom payments have also increased. 70 percent of the victims paid to get their data back. FBI estimates reach $1 billion in ransom for 2016. However, they recommend contacting law enforcement agencies instead of paying the ransom.
This is particularly worrying for businesses, as they are the primary target of ransomware attacks. The values demanded have been increasing radically, with criminals demanding double of what they demanded in 2015.
No platform is 100% safe, whether you use Windows, Mac, Linux or Android, all of these platforms are vulnerable to ransomware. While the future looks dark, and many fall prey to ransomware, others have been taking steps to prevent it. 42 percent of organizations that actively backup their data, were able to recover the information.
The dangers of ransomware are evident. The consequences can be costly and the wave of ransomware attacks does not seem to slow down any time soon. So how can one effectively prevent it?
Preventing Ransomware
Simply backing up your documents might not be enough. Some types of ransomware can change the local file names, making file recovery more difficult. vBoxxCloud, allows you to create a backup of your root folders, keeping their version history and temporarily deleted files. What this means is, if you suddenly fall victim to ransomware, you can quickly activate the backup and connect all users in order to continue working.
Periodically backing up your data is the best way to prevent ransomware attacks. It is important that employees know how to identify, malware email threats, that could infect your company’s network. vBoxxCloud offers many tools that help prevent ransomware. If you would like more details about this feature, click here or start a free trial.
Sources: IBM, The Guardian
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