Symantec released new research this morning highlighting what it calls a rapid expansion of ransomware scams throughout Western Europe, the U.S. and Canada. The research conservatively estimates that cybercriminals are extorting over $5 million a year from victims. Ransomware has been in existence since 2009 and initially targeted users in Russia and Eastern Europe. A single gang was observed attempting to infect 495,000 computers over just an 18 day period. The operations are highly profitable, with as many as 2.9 percent of compromised users paying out.”]
Source: https://www.csoonline.com/article/2135357/symantec–cyber-crooks-make-millions-off-ransomware.html