WannaCry Gives Consumers a First Look into Ransomware

WannaCry's high-profile rapid spread to 150 countries in a matter of days provided 57% of consumers with their first look into how ransomware works, according to a survey Carbon Black released today.

The survey of 5,000 consumers in the US revealed that 52% would be willing to pay a ransom if their personal computer was hijacked in a ransomware attack. And while 59% of consumers surveyed say they would be willing to pay a ransom if it was less than $100, it turns out that 12% are willing to shell out $500 or more.

WannaCry's attackers demand payments of up to $600 to unlock users' encrypted data. But of the 300,000 computers infected, the ransomware campaign has only raised roughly $137,000 to date, according to Elliptico.co's tracking of Bitcoin payments. That amounts to a per computer payout of 45 cents a hit.

Consumers, it turns out, aren't so understanding if the organizations they do business with get hit with a ransomware attack. In fact, 72% of consumers surveyed are willing to dump their financial institution if it becomes a ransomware victim, while 70% are willing to leave their retailer, the study found. Loyalty to a healthcare provider also goes out the door in a ransomware attack, with 68% of surveyed consumers saying they would drop their provider post ransomware attack.

Read more about Carbon Black's survey here.