Ransomware by the Numbers

MalwareBytes did a study from July through October 2016 and found some startling information.

The U.S. leads the world in ransomware infections with 26% of the global total. That is 200% more than the second place, Germany, and 500% more than the third place, France.

Las Vegas/Henderson, Nevada is the top US region for ransomware. And it was not surprising to find that cyber-criminals are competing for the top honor. Cerber and Locky are most prevalent, with Locky on the rise.

Here are the top ten infected cities in the U.S.:

1. Las Vegas/Henderson, Nevada
2. Memphis, Tennessee
3. Stockton, California
4. Detroit, Michigan
5. Toledo, Ohio
6. Cleveland, Ohio
7. Columbus, Ohio
8. Buffalo , New York
9. San Antonio, Texas
10. Fort Wayne, Indiana

Locky still holds a grip on victims with some chilling numbers since its release in Feb. 2015:

• On day one of its detection, the attack had already spread to 18 different countries.
• Day two: 61 different countries
• Day three: Locky had been detected in 85 countries
• Week one: it was detected in 109 total countries
• Month one: Locky had spread to 161 countries
• In month two: Locky had reached 174 countries. Notably, Malwarebytes detected an attempted Locky infection in Antarctica, meaning Locky had made its way to every continent

Currently, Malwarebytes has detected Locky in nearly 200 different countries

Shortly after the study was conducted, Locky took the number one place, outpacing Cerber.

Source: MalwareBytes