Recent ransomware attacks: Is it an epidemic or overblown?
Major news organizations stated that cybercriminals had raked in more than $209 million from ransomware victims in the first quarter of 2016, more than an eight-fold increase compared to the entire previous year. Citing data from the FBI, CNN predicted that 2016 would see cybercriminals collect more than $1 billion in profits from recent ransomware attacks by the end of the year. Both the Los Angeles Times and Reuters cited the $209 million figure, the Times calling it profits and Reuters portraying it as damages.
The origin of that number is a mystery, however.
Continued at: Recent ransomware attacks: Is it an epidemic or overblown? — TechTarget