The Internal Revenue Service treats cryptocurrency as property, so there may be capital gain implications to many transactions. Cybersecurity experts report that more than $20 million in cryptocurrency could be mined via malware during 2018. (Photo: Shutterstock)

Ransomware was on everyone's lips in 2017. Estimated damage from ransomware attacks in 2017 was $5 billion. That's 15 times the $325,000 million in damages logged 2015, just 2 years earlier, according to Cybersecurity Ventures.

In the insurance industry, underwriters and claims managers have made ransomware central to cyber policies while improving coverage and augmenting prices.

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