Cybersecurity software maker Trend Micro said in a report that the Middle East and North Africa regions accounted for 4.75 per cent and 1.75 per cent of all ransomware threats in the first quarter of 2018 respectively
A ransonware attack is a type of malicious software designed to block access to a computer system until a sum of money is paid.
Such attacks have grown in scale, frequency and severity since the WannaCry ransomware attack in May last year, where more than 200,000 computers across 150 countries were affected.
The attack caused damages ranging from hundreds of millions to billions of dollars even as cybersecurity companies scrambled to provide customers with security updates.
“Ransomware threats are constantly evolving, and no business is immune. As security experts, we encourage everyone to download our free tools, and inform users on the preventive measures, and ways to tackle the situation when affected. We recommend organizations to raise awareness and train their employees regularly on these preventive measures, like backing up data, and what has to be done when they encounter ransomware in emails or compromised sites. This helps to avoid being the victim of ransomware, as paying the ransom money does not guarantee that you can recover your data. There have been numerous reports of attackers asking for another ransom following the initial payment”, said Cherif Djerboua, regional tech leader, Trend Micro.
The company provides targeted security software products for small businesses and home users who may have smaller budgets compared with larger corporations.
For small businesses, the company provides email and endpoint security products and more expansive products to secure networks and servers for larger corporations.
