According to a new report by Intel Corporation INTC 0.09%, high-tech extortion attacks surged 165 percent in the first quarter of 2015.

Intel’s latest McAfee Labs Threats Report indicates that the slight drop in so-called “ransomware” attacks that occurred in 2014 following the police takedown of a major ransomware network was short-lived and that the world is now experiencing more attacks than ever before.

What Is Ransomware?

Ransomware is malware that takes control of an infected computer or phone and locks users out of all access unless they pay a ransom. Devices usually become infected when users click on an infected link or download an infected file.

The scheme originally started in Russia but has been a global issue over the past four years. Victims are usually required to pay a ransom of between $100 and $500 or risk permanently losing all their data.

Findings

According to Intel’s chief technology officer Raj Samani, the company found…

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