Based on news reports, ransomware attacks appear to be growing in popularity, and a new study seems to confirm that they have become the scam of choice among hackers.
In the first quarter of 2016, 93 percent of phishing emails contained ransomware, according to a recent report from PhishMe, a phishing-defense solutions provider. The company says its analysis of phishing email campaigns from the first three months of 2016 shows a 6.3 million increase in raw numbers, due primarily to a ransomware upsurge against the last quarter of 2015.
Ransomware scams prevent a user on an electronic device from accessing their systems, typically by locking a user’s files until a ransom is paid.
“Thus far in 2016, we have recorded an unprecedented rise in encryption ransomware attacks, and we see no signs of this trend abating. Individuals, small- and medium-sized businesses, hospitals, and global enterprises are all faced with the reality that this is now one of the most favored cyber criminal enterprises,” PhishMe CEO Rohyt Belani said in a statement.
For the company complete report, go here: PhishMe Q1 2016 Malware Review