A new study from cybersecurity firm Trustlook shows that ransomware isn't just targeting big businesses with deep pockets. Individual consumers are also being targeted - and they're paying.
A whopping 17% of consumers have been infected with ransomware, while 38% of them have actually paid the fee.
This seems like a high number, since the only stories making headlines are those of large corporations.
However, the payout is much lower than the banks and hospitals that are often targeted. Consumers usually pay between $100-500, according to the study.
And yet, the study also points out that 45% of individuals haven't even heard of ransomware - let alone know what it is. That's great news for cyber criminals, and horrible news for consumers who won't even know what's hitting them, let alone how to deal with it.
"While it’s true that hackers may have more to gain from large organizations, experts say they see consumers, with their lack of sophistication in security, as lower-hanging fruit. Because consumers usually have fewer information security resources than large organizations, breaches are far easier to achieve and are more likely to have a meaningful impact, and thus are more likely to result in a payment," Trustwork says.
But, as always, there are ways to prevent ransomware from protecting your personal devices.
“Backup your data to multiple devices, and to at least one device that is not connected to a network,” says Allan Zhang, co-founder and CEO of Trustlook. “Also, be cautious of emails by checking the sender’s email address before clicking any link.”
