Ransomware Demands Going Up

One trend that every security professional can agree on is that ransomware is on the rise. Symantec found that attacks were up 36 percent year-over-year in 2016, and also found 101 new families of ransomware malware (up from 30 in 2015). However, Haley said an even bigger shift is that the average amount of ransom demanded has grown, from $294 in 2015 to $1,077 in 2016. He said the highest single ransom Symantec recorded was $28,730. Haley said he believes the reason the amount jumped so drastically is that victims are often willing to pay to get their files back, leading attackers to raise the prices.

"I think that trend will continue to go up as long as people continue to be willing to pay in such great numbers," Haley said. "There's clearly consequences for doing that … We advise people not to pay. The best thing is to keep yourself protected and make sure you have your files backed up."