To get a more complete sense of the impact of ransomware beyond the headlines and statistics, we surveyed IT professionals who have had to deal with it firsthand.

From The Report, “With global ransomware damages predicted to exceed $5 billion this year, it is no surprise that ransomware is the fastest growing security threat. As this year’s global attacks have made national news, businesses of all sizes have become increasingly aware of the looming ransomware threat and the challenge of staying protected. Infected companies race the clock to minimize data loss, downtime, and reputation damage. With the seemingly endless profitability, anonymity and ease of execution it doesn’t appear cybercriminals will be turning their back on ransomware anytime soon. Companies are right to expect another year filled with attacks and new variants. The question is how can companies block these attacks before ransom is demanded, and their data along with their reputation is put at risk.”

Barkly offers their insight into the Malware landscape, and what they project will occur in 2018.