Almost all ransomware targets Windows devices
Major ransomware strains come and go, but about a hundred smaller families are always active
When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
An overwhelming majority of allransomwareis designed to targetWindows computers, according to a comprehensive new study of malicious files.
Conducted by the popular web-based scanner serviceVirusTotal, the study is based on analysis of roughly one million ransomware samples, from a pool collected between January 2020 and August 2021 from over 140 countries.
“According to our study, 95% of ransomware files detected were Windows-based executables or dynamic link libraries (DLLs). Meanwhile, 2% were Android-based,”wroteVirtusTotal.
We’re looking at how our readers use VPNs with streaming sites like Netflix so we can improve our content and offer better advice. This survey won’t take more than 60 seconds of your time, and we’d hugely appreciate if you’d share your experiences with us.
Click here to start the survey in a new window«
Based on the number of submissions, Israel, South Korea, Vietnam, China, Singapore, India, Kazakhstan, Philippines, Iran and the UK emerged as the ten most affected territories.
Never ending deluge
The study helped identify at least 130 different ransomware families, which the researchers claim was not an easy exercise because of the similarities between themalware.Grandcrabemerged as the top ransomware family, present in about 78.5% of the samples.
Interestingly, the study notes that, while activity among the most widespread ransomware families comes and goes, there is a baseline of activity of around 100 not-so-popular ransomware families that never ceases.
Based on its analysis, VirtusTotal observes that attackers prepare fresh new samples for their campaigns in most cases. Also, only about 5% of the analyzed samples were associated with exploits.
Are you a pro? Subscribe to our newsletter
Sign up to the TechRadar Pro newsletter to get all the top news, opinion, features and guidance your business needs to succeed!
“We believe this makes sense given that ransomware samples are usually deployed using social engineering and/or by droppers,” note the researchers.
Reporting on VirusTotal’s study,The Registerrightly notes that the scanner measures the malware that has been detected, rather than successful attacks. Furthermore, the study also seems to discount the emergence of new attack vectors such as ransomware that goes after network appliances, most of which are powered byLinux.
ViaThe Register
With almost two decades of writing and reporting on Linux, Mayank Sharma would like everyone to think he’sTechRadar Pro’sexpert on the topic. Of course, he’s just as interested in other computing topics, particularly cybersecurity, cloud, containers, and coding.
Cisco issues patch to fix serious flaw allowing possible industrial systems takeover
Washington state court systems taken offline following cyberattack
Owl Labs Meeting Owl 4+ review
