WOBURN, MA – December 8, 2016 — /BackupReview.info/ — In 2016, ransomware attacks on businesses increased three-fold: which represents a change from an attack every 2 minutes in January to one every 40 seconds by October. For individuals, the rate of increase went from every 20 seconds to every 10 seconds. With more than 62 new families of ransomware introduced during the year, the threat grew so aggressively that Kaspersky Lab has named ransomware its key topic for 2016. .
2016 revealed the extent to which the Ransomware-as-a-Service business model now appeals to criminals who lack the skills, resources or inclination to develop their own. Under the arrangement, code creators offer their malicious product ‘on demand’, selling uniquely modified versions to customers who then distribute it through spam and websites, paying a commission to the creator – the main financial beneficiary.
“The classic ‘affiliate’ business model appears to be working as effectively for ransomware as it does for other types of malware. Victims often pay up so money keeps flowing through the system. Inevitably this has led to us seeing new cryptors appear almost daily,” said Fedor Sinitsyn, Senior Malware Analyst, Kaspersky Lab.
The Evolution of Ransomware in 2016
Throughout 2016, Kaspersky Lab discovered that ransomware continued its rampage across the world, becoming more sophisticated and tightening its hold on data, devices, individuals and businesses, including the following:
Fortunately, 2016 also saw the world begin to unite to fight back against ransomware. The No More Ransom project, launched in July, brings together law enforcement and security vendors to track down and disrupt the big ransomware families, helping individuals to get their data back and undermining the criminals’ lucrative business model.
The latest versions of Kaspersky Lab products for smaller companies have been enhanced with anti-cryptomalware functionality. In addition, a new, free anti-ransomware tool has been made available for all businesses to download and use, regardless of the security solution they use.
The full text of the report “Kaspersky Security Bulletin 2016 – Story of the Year: The Ransomware Revolution” is available here. It also includes advice on how to stay safe and why not to pay the ransom.
Other sections of the Kaspersky Security Bulletin include the Threat Predictions 2017 and Number of the Year. The Executive Summary, Review and Statistics will be available in December.
About Kaspersky Lab
Kaspersky Lab is one of the world’s fastest-growing cybersecurity companies and the largest that is privately-owned. The company is ranked among the world’s top four vendors of security solutions for endpoint users (IDC, 2014). Since 1997 Kaspersky Lab has been an innovator in cybersecurity and provides effective digital security solutions and threat intelligence for large enterprises, SMBs and consumers. Kaspersky Lab is an international company, operating in almost 200 countries and territories across the globe, providing protection for over 400 million users worldwide.
Learn more at www.kaspersky.com
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Media Contact:
Sarah Kitsos
781.503.1836
Sarah.Kitsos@kaspersky.com
www.kaspersky.com
Source: Kaspersky
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