Ransomware Attacks Growing Globally, Kaspersky Reports | eWeek

Mobile Ransomware Increasingly Targeting US, Kaspersky Reports

Digital theft
Jul 6, 2017
2 minute read
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Mobile Ransomware Increasingly Targeting US, Kaspersky Reports

1 - Mobile Ransomware Increasingly Targeting US, Kaspersky Reports

Ransomware attacks are growing around the world but not at uniform rates, and they differ depending on whether the victim is on a desktop or mobile device, according to Kaspersky Lab’s “Ransomware in 2016-2017” report, which was released on June 26. Worldwide between April 2016 and March 2017, Kaspersky Lab found that the number of users who encountered ransomware rose by 11.4 percent year-over-year—from 2,315,931 to 2,581,026 users. Mobile malware, however, declined by 4.62 percent over the same period, from 136,532 users in 2015-2016 to 130,232 in 2016-2017. While mobile malware declined globally, attacks have increasingly targeted mobile users in the United States. In this slide show, eWEEK takes a look at some of the highlights of the Kaspersky Lab “Ransomware in 2016-2017” report.


Ransomware Is Growing Overall

2 - Ransomware Is Growing Overall

Kaspersky Lab found that the total number of users who encountered ransomware in the past year rose by 11.4 percent year-over-year, from 2,315,931 to 2,581,026 users.


Locky Leads a Mixed Set of Desktop Ransomware

3 - Locky Leads a Mixed Set of Desktop Ransomware

On the desktop, a wide number of different types of ransomware malware are attacking users, Kaspersky Lab found.


Turkish Users Are a Top Ransomware Target

4 - Turkish Users Are a Top Ransomware Target

While ransomware can impact users anywhere in the world, Kaspersky Lab’s analysis shows that users in Turkey are being attacked more than other parts of the world.


Mobile Ransomware Declines

5 - Mobile Ransomware Declines

Mobile malware attacks declined by 4.62 percent in the past year, according to Kaspersky Lab, from 136,532 users in 2015-2016 to 130,232 in 2016-2017.


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US Is Top Mobile Ransomware Target

6 - US Is Top Mobile Ransomware Target

The United States is the top target of mobile ransomware, followed closely by Canada, according to Kaspersky Lab.


Fusob Is Leading Mobile Ransomware Malware

7 - Fusob Is Leading Mobile Ransomware Malware

While there are multiple types of ransomware malware that are impacting desktop users, when it comes to mobile devices, Fusob dominates with 65 percent of infections.


Total Malware Attacks Remain Steady

8 - Total Malware Attacks Remain Steady

Looking at the total volume of users attacked with any type of malware over 2015-2017, Kaspersky Lab found that attacks in 2017 so far have remained steady.

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