Cybercriminals force SMEs to pay ransom

By siliconindia   |   Thursday, 08 October 2009, 15:02 IST   |    3 Comments
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Cybercriminals force SMEs to pay ransom
New Delhi: Cybercriminals are targeting Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) by making malwares which holds a computer system hostage and demands ransom for its restoration. One such malware is called Ransomware. According to internet security company Trend Micro, the fourth quarter of 2009 will see an increase in use of Ransomware to target SMEs rather than individual home users. SMEs do not have the infrastructure to cope with such malware threats and might have to pay the ransom to free their computers. Already organizations are trying to reduce their IT budget to survive the recession. This malware can be a big financial burden for the SMEs. Experts at Trend Micro also say that although mobile threats are not yet considered widespread, the potential for growth is huge, according to Business Standard. PC-based threats are already appearing on smartphones and cybercriminals are trying to target large population.