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2015 - the year of ransomware

Thursday 26 November 2015, 11:28PM

By Aaron F.

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Ransomware is a type of computer viruses which falls under the big category of Trojans. This type of viruses has posed severe problems to enterprises as it affects a normal computer’s functionality. It encryptes all files and shows a  message demanding for payment so that the computer functionality may be restored.

Cybercrime has evolved swiftly from the use of various computer disablement techniques. Ransomware being the most recent evolution makes it impossible for program users to access any files by locking computer displays and\or encrypting files.

There are two main types of ransomware. The first one is locker ransomware that completely locks the computer and denies the victim from accessing the device, like FBI virus. The second is crypto ransomware, on the other hand, encrypts data and prevents the victim from accessing all relevant files, like Crypt0L0cker virus. It is a requirement for this type of ransomware to use encryption to lock data. The affected files can only be dencrypted once the victim receives a key after paying up the forced amount.

Computer and files infection widely depends on the type of ransomware in distribution, though the most widespread infection means are: downloading online content that eventually turn out being Windows executable, emails that contain some enticing attachments in the form of pdf, jpg, dbl, rft, doc, gzip, txt, cgi among other extensions, and drive-by downloads via compromised advertising banners.

It is argued that antivirus should be capable of preventing such from happening, but this is not always a guarantee.

In conclusion, being a victim of ransomware in itself is not cheap. As a matter of fact, the average ransom demanded is $350, and this may vary depending with the target victim. It is, therefore, important for computer users to ensure that they have backed up copies of their documents and files in a completely separate device, have an updated antivirus package, and contact ITS as a matter of urgency.