Ransomware has been around for years, but it’s become particularly accuse in recent months, security researchers say.
By the end of 2014, there were only 16 main families, or types, of ransomware in the wild, according to Malwarebytes. Last year, there were 27 new ones. In the first quarter of this year alone there were 15 new families added.
About 60 percent of the malware infections encountered by anti-virus company Malwarebytes are now ransomware.
The number of ransomware infections detected by Enigma Software’s SpyHunter software in the United States jumped by 158 percent just between March and April of this year.
In the first quarter of this year, Kaspersky’s anti-virus software blocked ransomware from installing on the computers of 372,602 users, up by 30 percent from the previous quarter.
Some 2,453 ransomware complaints were filed with the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center last year, with reported losses tallying more than $25 million.
Mercury News research
Contact Troy Wolverton at 408-840-4285. Follow him at Twitter.com/troywolv.
