Image

Image

"From April 2014 to March 2015, Kaspersky Lab security solutions for Android protected 35,413 users from mobile ransomware. A year later the number had increased almost four-fold to 136,532 users.Most of the affected users are reported to be based in the United States, followed by Germany, Canada, and the UK. What we aren't told, unfortunately, is whether this increase in mobile users coming into contact with Android ransomware is due to Kaspersky recording a rise in its user numbers, or because of an improvement in its detection capabilities. But other statistics shared by the security researchers show that it is becoming more common to be threatened by Android ransomware compared to other types of malware on the platform:
"The share of users attacked with ransomware as a proportion of users attacked with any kind of malware also increased: from 2.04% in 2014-2015 to 4.63% in 2015-2016. The growth curve may be less that that seen for PC ransomware, but it is still significant enough to confirm a worrying trend."I think the researchers description of this as a "worrying trend" is correct, although not a surprising one. It makes sense to believe that online criminals have determined that ransomware is one of the best ways to make money through Android malware. After all, many Android users may have no anti-virus defences in place to protect their devices, and the incentive to pay up to recover access to - say - your precious collection of family photographs is considerable. The researchers also note that the Fusob family of ransomware (also sometimes known as Cyber Police) which locks users' devices and demands a fine be paid is responsible for over half of all reported attacks, having overtaken the Small ransomware family.
Image

Image
