All You need to know about Ransomware Attacks

CIO Applications| Wednesday, June 09, 2021

A close eye and protection tools are advisable to protect against ransomware infection.

Fremont, CA: Cybercriminals use ransomware as a form of malware. As ransomware infects a device or network, it either disables access to the machine or encrypts its data. In exchange for freeing the data, cybercriminals demand ransom money from their victims. A close eye and protection tools are advisable to protect against ransomware infection. After being hit with malware, victims have three options: pay the ransom, attempt to uninstall the malware, or restart the system. Extortion Trojans commonly use Remote Desktop Protocol, phishing emails, and software vulnerabilities as attack vectors. As a result, a ransomware attack will affect both individuals and businesses.

Two types of ransomware

Locker ransomware

Malware of this kind disables simple machine functions. Users can, for example, refused access to the desktop because their mouse and keyboard are partially disabled. It helps one to continue interacting with the ransom demand window to pay the ransom. Aside from that, the machine is completely unusable.

Crypto ransomware

Crypto ransomware aims to encrypt any crucial data, such as documents, photos, and videos, but not to disrupt the computer's essential functions. Since users can now see their files but still not access them, this causes panic. However, If users don't pay the ransom by the deadline, all files would get deleted, according to crypto developers. Crypto ransomware can be catastrophic due to many users unaware of the requirement for backups in the cloud and on external physical storage devices. As a result, many victims pay the ransom merely to regain access to their files.

Ransomware attacks

As previously stated, ransomware threatens people from all walks of life. The ransom requested is usually between 100 dollars and 200 dollars. On the other hand, some corporate attacks necessitate much more – mainly if the attacker is aware that the data will get blocked, which would result in a substantial financial loss for the business attacked. As a result, cybercriminals can make a lot of money using these techniques. The cyberattack victim is (or was) more important than the type of ransomware used in the two examples below.

WordPress ransomware

WordPress ransomware encrypts files on WordPress websites, as the name implies. As is typical of ransomware, extort the victim for ransom money. The more popular a WordPress site is, the more likely it is to be targeted by cybercriminals who use ransomware to extort money.

The Wolverine case

In September 2018, the healthcare supplier Wolverine Solutions Group was the target of a ransomware attack. Many of the company's files were encrypted by the malware, rendering many workers challenging to access. Fortunately, on October 3, forensics experts were able to decrypt and restore the files. However, the attack exposed a large amount of patient information.