Organizations in India, Austria and the US are most hit by ransomware

More than half of companies in India, Austria and the US experienced ransomware attacks in the past year, compared to a global average of 37 percent.

Data from Atlas VPN, based on research by Sophos, shows that out of 300 interviewees from India, 68 percent suffered from a ransomware attack, while 57 out of 100 respondents from Austria did so.

In the United States, 51 percent of participants, out of 500 questioned, report that they were hit with a ransomware attack.

Looked at by industry, of 435 respondents in retail, 44 percent were hit with a ransomware attack last year, putting the industry joint first with education -- out of 499 education interviewees 44 percent also experienced attacks.

The business and professional services industry suffered the third most ransomware attacks, with a total of 42 percent out of 361 respondents saying they experienced one in the past year.

Out of 117 participants in government and public bodies 40 percent report being attacked with ransomware in the last year. Of 768 respondents working in other industries 38 percent experienced a ransomware attack.

At a time when ransomware continues to hit the headlines, with the Colonial Pipeline and Irish health service attacks in the last month alone, it's important for all businesses to take steps to protect their information.

Cybersecurity writer and researcher at Atlas VPN Anton Petrov says, "Prepare a plan in case you would get hacked. Always have a backup of your data so you don't have to pay a ransom. Investing in cybersecurity will cost you less than having to deal with the aftermath of a ransomware attack."

You can read more on the Atlas VPN blog.

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