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"Ransomware attacks have eclipsed most other global cybercrime threats, with the first half of 2017 witnessing ransomware attacks on a scale previously unseen following the emergence of self-propagating 'ransomworms', as observed in the WannaCry and Petya/NotPetya cases. Moreover, while information-stealing malware such as banking Trojans remain a key threat, they often have a limited target profile." "Ransomware has widened the range of potential malware victims, impacting victims indiscriminately across multiple industries in both the private and public sectors, and highlighting how connectivity and poor digital hygiene and security practices can allow such a threat to quickly spread and expand the attack vector."
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"Three years ago [the main threat] was the inception of DDoS attacks or the criminal damage of computers; two years ago it was data breaches like TalkTalk, this year its been the use of ransomware attacks on individuals and corporate systems. Next year it will be more of the same."We can talk long and hard about the need for companies and home computer users to have better protection in place, to keep a strict regime of patching against vulnerabilities, and to make sure that a secure backup regime is in place. But Europol argues that we also need to tackle the rampant rise of ransomware from the other end of the problem. That means giving law enforcement agencies more resources to investigate organised multinational cybercrime gangs in order to bring the perpetrators to justice. Editor’s Note: The opinions expressed in this guest author article are solely those of the contributor, and do not necessarily reflect those of Tripwire, Inc.