Who is most affected by ransomware attacks and how to protect myself

We can say that ransomware is one of the worst security threats that we can find. Hackers use it to encrypt files and systems and then demand a ransom in return for control. Now, who and why does ransomware affect the most? In this article we are going to talk about it. We will also give some tips to prevent it from affecting you.

Sectors where ransomware affects the most

Who is most affected by ransomware attacks

Cybercriminals seek to maximize profits whenever they use some kind of malware. For this reason, they sometimes select the victim in order to collect more. Logically, ransomware does not have the same objective depending on who it attacks, since an ordinary home user is not the same as a large organization.

For this reason, we can say that ransomware affects companies and organizations more, especially in certain sectors. For example we can name health, financial sectors, education and public bodies. Why does it affect these sectors more? Many of them are very sensitive, such as the health or financial sectors, and that means that they are forced to pay the ransom. A hospital that has suffered an attack and has to paralyze operations is not the same as a company that sells screws and has to stop selling them for a while.

But if we focus on individuals, those who suffer the most ransomware attacks are those who work in these sectors. For example, a high profile within an organization, the person in charge of computer equipment in a hospital, etc. These people, or their devices, are preferred by attackers in order to make more money and obtain greater benefits.

Furthermore, any particular user can be susceptible to a ransomware attack. But especially this problem will be suffered by those who use systems that may be obsolete, not updated, and have vulnerabilities that can be exploited.

Por qué un antivirus no basta contra el ransomware

How to avoid this problem

If you want to avoid being a victim, it is important to know when a ransomware attack is most common. And in that case, as we have explained, it affects certain companies and sectors more. But in any case you are going to have to take protective measures and one of the most important is common sense . Avoid making mistakes, such as downloading a file from unsafe or unofficial sources.

It is also a good idea to have security programs . A good antivirus will alert you in case of any problem. It can warn you if you accidentally download dangerous software, be it ransomware or another variety of malware, that can compromise your system without your knowledge.

On the other hand, it is equally essential to have everything up to date . Hackers can take advantage of an unpatched vulnerability. If we keep all the equipment with the latest versions, we can avoid many security threats on the network.

In short, as you can see, ransomware is a major problem. It affects certain organizations and sectors more, but it is a threat that at any given time can compromise any user on the Internet. That is why we must always maintain security correctly.