13 January 2020 — 7 min read
The top 5 ransomware attacks in the UK and their hidden costs on business
Ransomware, one of the fastest-growing malware hazards of the 21st century, threatens businesses and public institutions around the world. A particularly virulent and fast-evolving species of malicious software, it infects computers and mobile devices, often spreading across networks to other devices. Once it compromises a system, it quietly encrypts every data file it finds, then displays a ransom note to the user demanding an online payment of hundreds or thousands of pounds (to be paid in cryptocurrency like Bitcoin) in return for the decryption keys needed to restore the user’s locked files.