Municipalities in trouble with ransomware attacks

ISTANBUL

At least 174 municipalities globally were exposed to ransomware attacks this year, global cybersecurity firm Kaspersky said on Tuesday.

The average amount of the ransom demands was over $1 million while the highest demand was $5.3 million, the company said in a press release.

Ransomware -- a kind of malware -- locks or limits using computers' hard drives until a ransom is paid to an illegal organization.

Kaspersky said long-term costs of these attacks are worse than these figures.

Fedor Sinitsyn, a security expert from Kaspersky, said: "When a city is attacked, it is necessary to conduct a case investigation and inspection and this adds additional costs."

The number of attacks to municipalities and its side institutions rose 60% this year versus the previous.

Ransomware attacks affect both the financial structure of municipalities and the social life of people by interrupting municipal services.

"Paying criminals is a short-term solution that gives them both financial gain and encourages them to demand money again in the future," Sinitsyn noted.