The number of South Korean companies who reported to the nation’s cybersecurity agency about falling victim to ransomware attacks has increased 14 times over the past five years.
In 2018, 22 South Korean companies, including non-profit organizations, reported to the Korea Internet & Security Agency that they had been hit by ransomware, a cyberattack in which attackers hold victims’ information as hostage through encryption until they are paid.
The cases of ransomware reported to the cybersecurity agency rose gradually, reaching 325 cases last year, which is the highest level in the last five years. South Korean lawmaker Park Wan-joo disclosed this data on Sunday after he had received it from the Ministry of Science and ICT.
In a press release, the lawmaker urged authorities to take strong actions against escalating ransomware attacks and stressed the need to collect data on the amount of the damage caused by ransomware.
The Ministry of Science and ICT told The Readable that they are looking into conducting a survey related to ransomware attacks. However, they explained the difficulties of extracting the exact amount of costs caused by cyberattacks.
“Physical attacks are easier to estimate, as the damage is visible to the naked eye,” explained an official of Ministry of Science and ICT. “In cyber, it is hard to estimate since there are numerous variables to take into account.”
