Ransomware is an estimated $5 billion crime, notes Cybersecurity Ventures, up from 2016's estimate of $850 million, according to a December 2017 Carbon Black report.
Carbon Black's Threat Analysis Unit examined the changes in cyberthreat landscape throughout 2017 in a review of customer data, which contained more than 3,500 global users with 15 million endpoints under protection.
Here are five report insights.
1. At the close of 2017, every computer protected by Carbon Black is being targeted by an attack an average of three times per month. At the beginning of the year, this number was less than one attack per month, representing a growth rate of 328 percent.
2. More than half of all attacks (52 percent) were non-malware attacks.
3. Nearly 68 percent of consumers would consider leaving their healthcare provider if it was hit by ransomware.
4. In 2017, ransomware most often targeted technology companies, government and nonprofit organizations, and legal firms.
5. Financial organizations, healthcare providers and retail stores were the top three malware victims in 2017.
Click here to download the full report.
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