Ransomware primer: you need to know these 5 things

Ransomware attacks in 2021 are on the rise due to the big rewards for criminals.

Here are 5 things everyone should know about ransomware – the worst of the worst malware – in 2021: Ransomware attacks are on the rise. There has been a 57% increase in organizations affected by ransomware within the last six months and a 9% monthly increase since the beginning of the year, according to Check Point Research. And the U.S. sees the most ransomware attacks of any single country, with 12% of all attack attempts globally, according to Check Point. The size of the payments is ballooning. The average cost of ransomware nearly tripled to $312,493 in 2020, according to Palo Alto Networks. Both the "highest amount paid" and "highest amount demanded" doubled to $10 million and $30 million, respectively, the cybersecurity firm said in its 2021 Unit 42 Ransomware Threat Report.