Ransomware to wreak havoc in 2016, ICIT study says

Ransomware to wreak havoc in 2016, ICIT study says

The Institute for Critical Infrastructure Technology said ransomware is so common that it’s becoming its own economy and criminals will be increasingly targeting healthcare entities via social engineering and other tactics.

Ransomware attacks on healthcare and other organizations “will wreak havoc on America’s critical infrastructure community,” according to a new report that also found the malware is now so prevalent it’s creating an economy of its own.

“New attacks will become common while unattended vulnerabilities that were silently exploited in 2015 will enable invisible adversaries to capitalize upon positions that they have previously laid claim,” the report published by the Institute for Critical Infrastructure Technology explained.

In the ransomware economy, criminals are using pricing calculations to target victims based on the most efficient ways to rake in money and, what’s more, criminals understand and engineer the pressures to put on victims.

The report said ransomware hackers are discovering the right price to charge for targeted industries and individuals, citing Symantec research that lists the average ransom paid by businesses at about $10,000.

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