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After an active year of online extortion, ransomware is poised to plateau in 2017, predict experts at Trend Micro. 2016 set the stage for more delivery methods, stronger encryption, and publicized code, which drove a 400% spike in the number of ransomware families between January and September.
While experts predict ransomware families will grow 25% in 2017, we have passed the tipping point. Businesses, rather than consumers, could be a primary target of these new families next year, reports Booz Allen Hamilton. Successfully extorting a business often leads to greater reward and lower risk for malware operators.
Criminals driven by stabilization will diversify their strategies so they can target larger businesses with more focused attacks. Ransomware that focuses on key parts of the Windows OS, like the MBR or system components' firmware, could likely become a new pathway.
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Latest Comment: The superior method of sandboxing called "sandcastling" involves having the user detonate the malware.
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