Over the last few years, ransomware has come from seemingly nowhere to be one of the most popular forms of cyberattacks.
Back in 2015, the threat was barely a blip on even the most forward-thinking security pro's radar, with just 3.8 million incidents reported worldwide, according to figures from Statista. But in 2016, it jumped to 638 million and, while it has since quietened down, the attacks that are launched are often bigger, more sophisticated and more damaging.
But since the WannaCry and NotPetya attacks brought the term to widespread prominence and demonstrated just how much disruption they can do, businesses have been taking steps to mitigate such attacks, with stronger defenses and more thorough backup processes as a last resort.
Therefore, criminals have had to turn to new tactics in order to get through these protections and achieve the results they want. And one attack vector likely to be prevalent this year is targeted ransomware.