The number of ransomware infections has gone up sharply in the past few months, according to a report from cybersecurity firm Kaspersky Lab.
Kaspersky Labs reported on Tuesday that it had detected 7.7 million malicious cyber attacks in the first quarter of 2018, up from 5.9 million in the previous quarter.
It added that the malware is mostly distributed by groups with names such as “Cyber Stasi” and “Vigilante.”
The firm said the number of infections has been growing since the start of the year, when it reported that it detected 7 million malicious attacks.
According to Kasperski, the surge in infections was due to the rise of ransomware campaigns that have been targeted by cyber criminals.
Ransomware is a malware that encrypts data on a victim’s computer and locks them out of their files.
It is typically used by criminals to extort money or steal data from companies.
