Extortion is wreaking havoc in the new digital world and generating lots of money for cyber criminals, with the latest casualty being a US-based hospital that had its computer system shut down by hackers demanding a $3.7m ransom this week, revealing again that every business and consumer using the internet is a potential target for ransomware perpetrators. Symantec says "never before in the history of humankind have people across the world been subjected to extortion on a massive scale as they are today", adding that while ransomeware is a global menace, the Hollywood is the primary "bull's eye".
Extortion is wreaking havoc in the new digital world and generating lots of money for cyber criminals, with the latest casualty being a Hollywood-based hospital that had its computer system shut down by hackers demanding a $3.7m ransom this week, revealing again that every business and consumer using the internet is a potential target for ransomware perpetrators. Symantec says "never before in the history of humankind have people across the world been subjected to extortion on a massive scale as they are today", adding that while ransomeware is a global menace, the US is the primary "bull's eye".