Buzz
Ransomware attacks have spiked by 47% between June and July of this year.
The information comes from a report released on August 25 by cybersecurity company NCC, USA. The report also indicates that the majority of attacks target the industrial sector.
While from 2014 to 2016, ransomware primarily targeted individuals, it is now gradually becoming a significant threat to businesses and organizations.
The latest victim of ransomware in France is a public hospital in Essonne, southeast of Paris. Hackers demand the hospital to pay 10 million USD to regain control over its computer systems and data storage. This is just one of many ransomware attacks that have been on the rise over the past two years.
Keren Elazari at Tel Aviv University, Israel, stated: 'Criminal groups are exploiting the COVID-19 pandemic and the disruptions in our lives to target healthcare facilities, government agencies, and local authorities.'
Warning: Escalation of Ransomware Threat
Not only are the number of attacks increasing, but the ransom payments are also growing. Last May, the leading US oil pipeline network, Colonial Pipeline, had to pay 5 million USD to regain control of its critical fuel pipeline systems for the entire East Coast.
Meanwhile, the world's largest meat producer, JBS, paid a ransom of 11 million USD to ensure data safety.
Casey Ellis from Bugcrowd Cybersecurity Platform stated: 'Hackers look at companies' monthly revenue, potential losses if systems go down, to determine a reasonable ransom amount. It can't be too high because hackers don't want companies to seek alternative solutions instead of paying the ransom. But it can't be too low either because the goal is still money.'
