Ransomware

A ransomware is a sort of cyberattack characterized by the criminals gaining control of a computer or a network, making its files inaccessible, and then asking for ransom to give access again. The majority of users are made aware of the issue when their documents become unreadable or when a message announcing that the system has been encrypted suddenly appears on the screen. Usually, the culprits also take care of indicating the way of paying which frequently involves the asking of cryptocurrency since it is more difficult to trace.

Although these attacks are quite often very spectacular, they seldom start in a spectacular way. The attackers usually come with a toy-looking email attachment, a phishing link, or a vulnerability in the software that has been there for a long time and was never patched. After the malware has been introduced into the network, it will operate silently, moving from one device to another, and encrypting as well as altering the parameters of important files so that nobody can access or use them.

There are even ransomware gangs that go further in their operations. They do not only encrypt information as a first step; they also silently copy confidential data. Later on, the criminals force the victim to choose between keeping the data secret or paying a ransom to have it all to themselves. In such cases, the money paid does not mean a working decryption key will be sent by the hackers.

In light of all these dangers, cybersecurity professionals talk about one thing as the utmost priority: preparations. Regular data backups, always up-to-date software, and trained personnel, together with powerful security tools, will be the most effective measures against a threat that could paralyze an entire organization in just a few minutes.