Ransomware can target almost anyone, from home users to small businesses, large enterprises, government or public agencies, and even politicians or celebrities.
Academic organizations—these organizations are a prime target for ransomware and other types of cyberattacks. They have smaller IT and security groups than businesses of a similar size, budget constraints, a high rate of community file sharing, and large volumes of sensitive data such as intellectual property, research, and financial data of school, staff, and students.
Healthcare—hospitals and medical devices often use outdated computing devices and software, which may not be patched or suitably updated, making them relatively easy to breach. Cybercriminals know that if hospital data becomes inaccessible, it can threaten the lives of patients. They attack hospitals with ransomware under the assumption that hospital staff will act immediately to restore the data due to its criticality.
HR departments—human resources systems have access to personnel and financial records that make them attractive targets for ransomware attacks. Hackers often penetrate HR systems by pretending to be job applicants. HR teams are tricked into opening a job application email and executing an attachment infected by malware.
Government agencies—attackers target governments for obvious reasons, due to their prominence and the sensitive personal data they hold. They assume government bodies will be quick to pay the ransom because they cannot afford to lose data with public or political significance.
Mobile Devices—mobile devices contain sensitive personal data, such as personal photos and video, credentials to online services, and commonly financial data and access to mobile payments. Because mobile devices are often backed up automatically to the cloud, attackers prefer to obstruct access to a smartphone and request a ransom for allowing access, rather than just encrypting files.