SOME 10,414 crypto-ransomware attacks against Philippines-based users were detected by Kaspersky Lab ZAO.
The Russian cyber-security firm said on Tuesday it recorded incidents of attacks in the country rose by 1.54 percent in a year.
The goal of crypto ransomware is to encrypt critical data—such as documents, pictures or videos—while leaving more basic computer functions untouched.
“This generates a sense of panic, because you can see your files, but you can’t access them,” Kaspersky said. “Crypto creators often include a countdown in their ransom demand: If you don’t pay by the deadline, all your files will be deleted.”
According to Kaspersky, the irreversible consequences of this kind of malicious software (malware) infection, along with the high value data that is being encrypted by ransomware, tempts victims to pay for decryption, which, in turn, draws more cyber criminals into the business.
The number of crypto-ransomware attacks “uncover the reality the threat of crypto ransomware exists not only in developed countries but also in emerging nations, like the Philippines,” Anthony Chua, Kaspersky Lab Territory channel manager for the Philippines and Singapore, was quoted in a statement as saying.
“Kaspersky Lab strongly suggests not to pay the ransom but most of all, every Filipino must be cyber-savvy enough to avoid this kind of stealthy and costly threat,” Chua said. “Always remember that prevention is better than cure, even in cyber security.”
Fedor Sinitsyn, Kaspersky Lab senior malware analyst, was quote as saying that paying the ransom allows the attackers to grow their capacity.
“Companies and regular users can protect themselves by implementing regular backups, using a proven security solution and keeping themselves informed about current cyber-security threats,” Sinitsyn said. “The ransomware business model seems to be profitable and safe for criminals, and the security industry and users can change that just by implementing these basic measures.”
Kaspersky Lab said that, while the Philippines is not among the top 10 most attacked countries, its data showed the Philippines has experienced a 1.54-percent increase on crypto-ransomware attacks in just a year. In terms of the share of users attacked with encryption ransomware as a proportion of users attacked with any kind of ransomware, the Philippines soared from 4.04 percent from 2014 to 2015, to 32.68 percent from April 2015 to March 2016.
Worldwide, the number of users attacked by crypto ransomware worldwide grew to 718,536 between April 2015 and March 2016, higher by 5.5 times than the 131,111 attacks between April 2014 and March 2015, Kaspersky Lab said. The United States, Germany and Italy had the most numbers of users attacked by crypto ransomware.