Ransomware: The tiny criminal
By: Adith Nadar
Tags: Ransomware, Data, Data Science, Adith Nadar, Virus

Ransomware: The tiny criminal

It will encrypt your PC.

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Introduction

Ransomware is a form of malware that encrypts a victim’s files. The attacker then demands a ransom from the victim to restore access to the data upon payment.

How ransomware works

There are a ‘‘n’’ number of ways of which ransomware can take to access a computer. One of the most common attacks is phishing spam — attachments that come to the victim via email, that pretend as a file they should trust. Once the file is downloaded and opened, they can take over the victim’s computer. Some other, more aggressive forms of ransomware, are NotPetya, which exploit security holes to infect computers without needing to trick users.

There are several things the malware might do once it’s taken over the victim’s computer, but the most common action is to encrypt some or all of the user’s files. The most important thing to know is that at the end of the process, the files cannot be decrypted without a mathematical key.

Who is a target for ransomware?

There are several ways attackers choose their target with ransomware. For instance, attackers might target universities because they tend to have smaller security teams and a user base that does a lot of file sharing, making it easier to penetrate their defenses. Another example is, government agencies or medical facilities often need immediate access to their files. Law firms and other organizations with sensitive data may be willing to pay to keep news of a compromise quiet — and these organizations may be uniquely sensitive to attacks.

Preventing Ransomware

There are a number of defensive steps you can take to prevent ransomware. These steps are of course good security practices in general, so follow them to improve your defenses against these attacks:

Don’t install software or give it administrative privileges unless you know exactly what it is and what it does.

unless you know exactly what it is and what it does. Install antivirus software , which detects malicious programs like ransomware as they arrive, and whitelisting software .

, which detects malicious programs like ransomware as they arrive, and . Back up your files, frequently or automatically! That won’t stop a malware attack, but it can make the damage caused by one much less significant.

Removing Ransomware

If your computer has been infected with ransomware, you’ll need to regain control of your machine. You can remove ransomware by following these

Reboot Windows 10 to safe mode

Install antimalware software

Scan the system to find the ransomware program

to find the ransomware program Restore the computer to a previous state

While walking through these steps you can remove the malware from your computer and restore it to your control, it won’t decrypt your files. By removing the malware, you’ve precluded the possibility of restoring your files by paying the attackers the ransom they’ve asked for.

Ransomware facts and figures

Ransomware is big business. There’s a lot of money in ransomware, and the market expanded rapidly from 2010. In 2017, ransomware resulted in $5 billion in losses, in terms of ransoms paid and spending in recovering from attacks. In the first quarter of 2018, just one kind of ransomware software, SamSam, collected $1 million in ransom money.

Some markets are prone to ransomware. Many high-profile ransomware attacks have occurred in medical organizations: attackers know that, with lives literally in the balance, these enterprises are more likely to simply pay a relatively low ransom to make a problem go away. It’s estimated that 45 percent of ransomware attacks target healthcare organizations, The financial services sector is another favorite sector for ransomware. It’s estimated that 90 percent of financial institutions were targeted by a ransomware attack in 2017.

Your anti-malware software won’t protect you at times. Ransomware is constantly being written and tweaked by its developers. In fact, as many as 75% of companies that fall victim to ransomware were running up-to-date endpoint protection on the infected machines.

Ransomware examples

While ransomware has technically been since the ’90s, it’s only taken off in the past five years, this is because of the availability of untraceable payment methods like Bitcoin. Some of the worst offenders have been:

CryptoLocker , a 2013 attack, launched the modern ransomware and infected up to 500,000.

, a 2013 attack, launched the modern ransomware and infected up to 500,000. TeslaCrypt targeted gaming files and saw constant improvement during its reign of terror.

targeted gaming files and saw constant improvement during its reign of terror. SimpleLocker was the first widespread ransomware attack that focused on mobile devices

was the first widespread ransomware attack that focused on mobile devices WannaCry spread autonomously from computer to computer using EternalBlue, an exploit developed by the NSA and then stolen by hackers.

spread autonomously from computer to computer using EternalBlue, an exploit developed by the NSA and then stolen by hackers. NotPetya also used EternalBlue and may have been part of a Russian-directed cyberattack against Ukraine.

I hope you got a clear picture of what is ransomware and how to get rid from them.