Microsoft has often been lauded as being the primary and by far the most reliable source of information when it comes to ransomware and malware statistics. The reason for that is partly because it is the only company that has its own antivirus running almost all recent Windows operating systems. Hence, it allows the tech giant to have an invaluable insight into how different viruses affect computers. This has further aided Windows as it can decipher this invaluable data and come up with better solutions regarding the new developments in malware attacks.
Microsoft releases a detailed report that contains in-depth analyses as well as recommendations for home users and businesses on how to avoid malware and ransomware attacks. The report which is titled “Security Intelligence Report” (SIR) is released every six months. It is a thorough dossier which contains insightful data regarding the cybercrime operations occurring across the globe.
Microsoft released the 23rd version of this report earlier today with an exclusive section dedicated to “2017’s most lucrative cybercrime operation”, Ransomware.
One of the most glaring revelations of the report was that between the period of February and December of 2017, Asia was the geographical region that had experienced the highest amounts of ransomware operations. The report, which was based on the analytical data gathered from the compromised computers as well as servers, also revealed that most of these attacks had been executed from the Asian region as well.
The countries that had been the most vulnerable to ransomware attacks were Myanmar and Bangladesh. 0.48% of all global ransomware operations were carried out against Myanmar-based PCs, while 0.46% against Bangladesh and 0.33% against Venezuela. By contrast, Japan, Finland and the US had a ransomware attack rate of merely 0.03%, making them the least susceptible nations of such attacks.
The report further reveals that the most potent ransomware attacks of 2017 were WannaCry, NotPetya and Bad Rabbit. Most of these ransomware attacks originated from a similar source code programming family titled “LockScreen”. In 2016, LockScreen had only affected Android smartphones, however in 2017 it had managed to cause several ransomware outbreaks by infecting Windows systems.
For assistance with file recovery and ransomware removal, please contact MonsterCloud – cyber security experts for a professional ransomware removal.
