Cybercriminals make eye-popping ransom demands

Cybercriminals sometimes demand millions of dollars to return computer data access to companies and organizations they attack using ransomware.

The highest ransom amount demanded in 2020 was $30 million and the highest paid was $10 million, according to Palo Alto Networks’ Ransomware Threat Report.

This year JBS paid $11 million and Colonial Pipeline Co. paid $4.4 million in ransoms after attackers hacked into their networks.

“You need to practice cyber hygiene to keep yourself clean and safe from what’s out there,” said Kyle Jones, associate professor and chairman of the computer science and information technology department at Sinclair Community College.

Here are links to the full Dayton Daily News cybersecurity series of stories:

Companies skimp on cybersecurity defense at their own peril

Cybercriminals want your data and ransom money

Cybercriminals make eye-popping ransom demands

Thieves stealing passwords can get ‘keys to the kingdom’

More than a billion people impacted in top U.S. data breaches and leaks in 2021

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