Close icon Two crossed lines that form an 'X'. It indicates a way to close an interaction, or dismiss a notification. Bill Hinton/Getty Images Ransomware hackers raked in more money than ever last year, a new report said. The average ransomware payment in 2020 was $312,493, nearly three times the 2019 average. Hackers are attacking more vulnerable targets and upping threats, Palo Alto Networks reported. Ransomware hackers are reaping bigger payouts than ever before, found a report published Wednesday by the cybersecurity firm Palo Alto Networks. Ransomware attacks — where profit-driven cybercriminals target victims with malicious software that locks up their data or disables their computer systems until they agree to pay a ransom — have been around for more than a decade. But cybercriminals have recently homed in on more vulnerable targets, such as healthcare organizations, and have developed more aggressive tactics that make victims more likely to pay hefty sums, Ryan Olson, Palo Alto Networks' VP for threat intelligence, said.