Intelligent CIO Middle East Issue 20 | Page 14

LATEST INTELLIGENCE PRESENTED BY 2017: STATE OF MALWARE REPORT I Download whitepaper here n 2016, we finally saw the headlines catch up with the hype. Cyberattacks and cybersecurity, or a lack thereof, grabbed media attention on both the corporate and consumer sides, even becoming a key issue in the US presidential election. In this respect, you could say that everyone, even those who have never logged on, was affected by cyberattacks and hacking in 2016. Ransomware rises to the top, targets businesses In 2016, ransomware grabbed headlines, and for good reason. While traditional malware such as banking Trojans, spyware, and keyloggers requires the cybercriminal 14 INTELLIGENTCIO to oversee multiple steps before revenue is delivered to their bank account, ransomware makes it a seamless, automated process. Script kiddies (hackers with little or no coding skills) can even buy turnkey ransomware kits known as “Ransomware as a Service” (RaaS) that take all the hassle out of digital thievery. In the fourth quarter of 2016 alone, we cataloged nearly 400 variants of ransomware, the majority of which were created simply by a new criminal group trying to get a piece of the pie. The trend of ransomware is not new, however, as we’ve watched distribution grow over the last two years and have observed specific families rise to the top of the cybercrime market. www.intelligentcio.com