The ransom paid to free companies’ computers after a ransomware attack is usually used to invest in more criminal cyber activities. This should be apparent from a report from Trend Micro.
You might have seen it coming, but cyber criminals who get a ransom from their victims don’t use it to buy a new car. Usually, as a traditional company does, they use it to finance their future activities.
According to a new report from Trend Micro, only about 16 percent of ransomware victims pay the ransom. And in most cases, that amount is then put into new ransomware attacks at the rate of one payment, which roughly accounts for nine new attacks. The paying victims would thus help pay for a growing system of cybercrime.
The report also looks at the typology of the victims. For example, the risk is different for every region or sector. Victims in certain industries and countries pay faster or are willing to pay more, Trend Micro calculated, making them a sought-after target. For example, African companies would most often decide to pay ((34.8% pay after an attack), and European companies the least (11.1%).
The group of 16% who pay are often hacked again and forced to pay even more ransom, the security guard writes. Therefore, he recommends simply not paying and instead investing in infrastructure that is more resistant to outside interference.
