Ransomware Makes up Small Share of Growing Malware Threat

One type of malware has captured the attention of the world. Recent ransomware attacks show the devastating effects it can have on business and infrastructure. After a worldwide attack with a cryptoworm called "WannaCry" in May, another attack with a strain of ransomware called "Petya" started on Tuesday and kept on spreading around the world on Wednesday.

Malware has come a long way in the last ten years, as the below infographic shows. According to analysts with IT-security software firm G Data, the number of new malware specimen is likely to reach more than 7.4 million this year alone. Albeit this number seems to spell bad news only, the data also indicates that the malware growth rate is slowing.

It is also important to note that according to data provided by IT-security institute AV-Test, ransomware (such as "WannaCry" and "Petya") only makes up a very small share of all malware detected worldwide. However, this just goes to show that the number of specimen of a certain kind of malware does not reflect its actual potential for damage.