Retailers are now selling a rapidly growing number of connected devices — from refrigerators to smoke detectors to home security devices to robotic vacuum cleaners, and a lot more.

Thus, the threat of ransomware is getting worse, as we’ve reported before. Ransomware “is malware. The hackers demand payment, often via Bitcoin or prepaid credit card, from victims in order to regain access to an infected device and the data stored on it.” [from Ransomware: The Smart Person’s Guide, by James Sanders]

How pervasive is the threat of ransomware in our everyday lives? Check out this rather scary cartoon from Joy of Tech. It was inspired by the recently published Ransomware: Defending Against Digital Extortion by Allan Liska and Timothy Gallo! [Click the image for a larger version of the cartoon.]