A new survey of consumers in North America has highlighted that they need to be better educated about ransomware. ESET, a Slovakian anti-virus software company, conducted a report revealing that despite widespread reporting of ransomware attacks, 30% of those surveyed admitted to not knowing what ransomware is or does. Younger people (18-24) had less knowledge and understanding of this malware than the over 65s. A significant number of respondents admitted to not backing up their files; 31% overall, which rose to 35% among young people. The study also revealed that many users are unaware of how to protect themselves from ransomware, as well as how it works.
A new survey of consumers in North America has highlighted that they need to be better educated about ransomware. ESET, a Slovakian anti-virus software company, conducted a report revealing that despite widespread reporting of ransomware attacks, 30% of those surveyed admitted to not knowing what ransomware is or does. Younger people (18-24) had less knowledge and understanding of this malware than the over 65s. A significant number of respondents admitted to not backing up their files; 31% overall, which rose to 35% among young people. More positively, a large percentage (85%) of those surveyed said that they would not pay a ransom if their computer became infected.