A recent survey sponsored by IT security firm Malwarebytes revealed that nearly half of US businesses were the subject of ransomware attacks in the previous 12 months.
According to the survey, 41% of US businesses had suffered at least one to five attacks in the pertinent period, while 6% encountered six or more attacks.
30% of hostage takers demanded an average $500 ransom for the files. The highest demanded went beyond the $150,000 mark.
The study looked into the security vulnerabilities of corporations in the US, Canada, UK and Germany.
Ransomware infects computer systems and holds files hostage, while access is re-established in exchange for a certain sum of money. 34% of businesses reported revenue loss due to the attacks.
But US businesses reported better outcomes, as only 6% reported an effect on their income since the malware only affected personal files.
Further, only 3% of those whose files were held hostage paid the ransom. In contrast, 75% of Canadian corporations paid the fee for access to their files.
The survey also revealed that the threat often affects desktop PCs and laptops, with the infection coming through email attachments and links from a website or web application.
