Data from the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center shows that ransomware continues to spread and is infecting devices around the globe, according to an IC3 press release.

These financial fraud schemes target both individuals and businesses, are usually successful, and have a significant impact on victims, according to IC3.

The problem begins when the victim clicks on an infected advertisement, email, or attachment, or visits an infected website. Once the victim’s device is infected with the ransomware variant, the victim’s files become encrypted. In most cases, once the victim pays a ransom fee, he or she regains access to the files that were encrypted.

Most criminals involved in ransomware schemes demand payment in Bitcoin. Criminals prefer Bitcoin because it's easy to use, fast, publicly available, decentralized, and provides a sense of heightened security and anonymity.

The center said that recent reporting identifies CryptoWall as the most current and significant ransomware threat. This program and its variants have been used to target U.S. victims since April 2014. Since then, the IC3 has received 992 CryptoWall-related complaints, with victims reporting losses totaling more than $18 million.

The financial impact to victims goes beyond the ransom fee itself, which is typically between $200 and $10,000. Many victims incur additional costs associated with network mitigation, network countermeasures, loss of productivity, legal fees, IT services, and the purchase of credit monitoring services for employees or customers, the release said.

IC3 offered these tips for protecting yourself from ransomware infection:

• always use antivirus software and a firewall. It's important to obtain both from reputable companies, and keep them current with automatic updates;
• enable popup blockers. Popups are regularly used by criminals to spread malicious software; the best way to avoid accidentally clicking on one is to keep it from appearing in the first place;
• back up the content on your computer. If you back up, verify, and maintain offline copies of your personal and application data, ransomware scams will have limited impact on you. If you are targeted, you can simply have your system wiped clean and reload your files; and
• be skeptical. Don’t click on emails or attachments you don't recognize, and avoid suspicious websites altogether.

If you receive a ransomware popup or message on your device alerting you to an infection, immediately disconnect from the Internet to avoid any additional infections or data losses. Alert your local law enforcement personnel and file a complaint at www.IC3.gov.