March
31, 2017 — Ransomware
has emerged as the most serious malware threat of the 21st century, with
criminals projected to extort $5B from their victims in 2017. With the help of
a hard-drive-encrypting virus, cyber criminals force users to choose between
paying an online ransom and losing their files forever. The rapid growth of
this form of high-tech larceny has led many business and users to leverage cloud-based
storage and backup services in an effort to foil
ransomware attacks.

Acronis, a global
leader in hybrid cloud data protection and storage, recently completed a consumer
backup survey in the U.S., U.K., Australia, Germany, France and Japan. The
results were revealing, beginning with the finding that most users are
completely unaware of the threat posed by ransomware attacks, much less how to
prepare for them.

“This survey exposed a
serious disparity between the value assigned to respondent data and what is actually
being done to protect that data,” said John Zanni, CMO of Acronis. This is true
for both the consumer market and for businesses.

“Backup still remains
the most effective vaccine against data loss. Creating a backup before disaster strikes is
much more efficient and cost effective than looking for a cure when your data
is lost.  Affordable backup
software is readily available, so there is no excuse for losing your data or
exposing it to cyber criminals and ransomware attacks.”

General survey findings:

Ransomware awareness findings:

Ransomware criminals
extorted over $1 billion from victims in 2016 alone, according
to the FBI, and while public
cases involving hospitals and government agencies receive prime coverage,
attacks on home computers go underreported.

“Security threats are
certainly coming after consumers, not just enterprises,” commented Eric
O’Neill, former FBI counter-terrorism and counterintelligence operative, in a recent
interview with Acronis. “We tend to think of it as a problem
for business or government. The fact of the matter is that most of the malware
is affecting grandparents, parents and anyone with an email account and a
computer.”

Other survey findings:

There are four easy
steps to protect data:

Special offer from Acronis

Malware attacks and defenses against them are
continually evolving. Once the use of backups was proven to be a reliable
defense against ransomware, malware gangs began developing ransomware variants
that find and attack backup files, too. To answer this new threat, Acronis
enhanced its backup solutions with innovative new anti-ransomware technology.
Introduced in January 2017, Acronis Active Protection™ actively defends both user
files and their backups by identifying and blocking ransomware attacks in
real-time.

Take advantage of our World Backup Day
special offer on Acronis True Image and start protecting your data today!

Resources for more information:

About Acronis

Acronis sets
the standard for hybrid cloud data protection through its backup, storage, disaster recovery and secure file sync and share solutions. Powered by the Acronis
AnyData Engine and set apart by its image technology, Acronis delivers easy,
complete and affordable data protection of all files, applications and
operating systems across any environment—virtual, physical, cloud, and mobile.
Founded in 2003, Acronis protects the data of more than 5 million consumers and
500,000 businesses in 145+ countries. With more than 100 patents, Acronis
products have been named best product of the year and cover a range of
features, including migration, cloning and replication. Today, Acronis
solutions are available worldwide through a global network of service
providers, distributors and cloud resellers.