A survey conducted by the Ponemon Institute shows that the average value of data stored on mobile devices is about $14,000 (yes, that’s per device).

The mobile phone is an integral part of today’s human life.

As the end of March approaches, it means World Backup Day is near – the annual reminder that if we don’t want to look the fool after data loss, we need to create secure backups. Acronis conducts a global consumer survey each year leading up to the World Backup Day celebration, to gauge the attitudes, habits and knowledge of the general public. The findings were both eye-opening and contradictory.

Late Thursday, Atlanta, Georgia was hit by a ransomware attack that ended up infecting multiple applications and devices, crippling the city’s municipal computer system. As city employees arrived at work on Friday, they were each handed a flyer telling them not to turn on their computer until the IT department had cleared their systems. In the meantime, cybercriminals were demanding $51,000 in bitcoin to return access to the ATL. The Atlanta attack is just the latest high-profile ransomware attack that should prompt everyone to review their data protection strategy – because given how fast the threat from ransomware is evolving, old defenses are proving less effective against the new threats.