Tom Merritt lists the most lucrative ransomware gangs and why they're dangerous.
Jack Cable, a security architect at Krebs Stamos group, and a former U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency worker, has started a ransomware payments tracking site called Ransomewhere.
Because bitcoin transactions are public, you can see—if you look—who's getting paid how much.
Ransomwhe.re keeps a running tally of ransoms paid based on anonymous self-reporting by the victims of ransomware. The full database is available for free to researchers and all enforcement.
SEE: How to manage passwords: Best practices and security tips (free PDF) (TechRepublic)
So, who's getting the most ransom money? As of the writing of this script, here are the top five.
It's not reassuring to see the large amount of money going to ransomware, but if you need help making the case of why it's important to prepare for it, maybe this helps. And the data itself is useful at getting a handle on what the threats out there are.
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