Security News > 2020 > April > Why is ransomware still a thing? One-in-three polled netizens say they would cave to extortion demands

Want to know why ransomware is still rampant? One in three surveyed folks in North Americans said they would be willing to pay up to unscramble their files once their personal systems were infected.

The Russian security house polled more than 2,000 business workers in the US, and 1,000 in Canada, in an online study, and found that 33 per cent would cough up at least some money to cyber-extortionists to get their data back on their own personal machines.

If you're a crook, one third of your victims paying out is a pretty nice return, especially when Kaspersky estimates that 1.2 million people are hit with ransomware every six months.

Security and law enforcement groups alike agree that keeping regular offline backups and patching your software is a far better plan than paying demands, and there is no guarantee you will even get your data back should you agree to foot the extortion fees.

While it is considered a best practice not to give in to ransomware demands, some suggest that tough talk only goes so far, and when it comes down to getting critical business data back, sometimes there is a case for paying up.

News URL

https://go.theregister.co.uk/feed/www.theregister.co.uk/2020/04/02/ransomware_pay_ransomware/