May 12, 2017 – Biggest Malware attack from Cyber Criminals
WannaCry is a malware attack which damaged nearly 3 Lakh
computers in more than 140 countries all over the world.
And, in this
article, we’re going to explain detailed ransomware, types, unbelievable facts
and most importantly what we can do to prevent it taking your data.
What is ransomware?
It is a piece of
malware or virus that block’s the user’s computer to access files for further.
The only way to regain the access to their computer is to pay any demanded
amount to ransom.
How to find
ransomware attacked you?
Your computer will be
locked and a pop up appears on your screen which demands some amount of
bitcoins to unlock your system. Below image is the popup of this malware:
What are the types of
ransomware?
- Encryptors: This malware hacks all your computer
data and blocks your system to access. It demands the victim to pay the
amount to get out from this issue.
- Lockers: It locks the victim to access the
computer. Here malware doesn’t hack your data. It just blocks the victim
from accessing. Attackers will ask for a ransom to unlock the infected
system.
Some facts about
ransomware:
1. It is unbreakable
encryption – means difficult to break this malware; Very dangerous malware
2. It can hack all
kind of files like documents, pictures, videos, audios, username-passwords etc.
3. It demands the
victim to pay through bitcoin, because this is digital currency and can’t be
tracked by government security agencies.
4. Ransom have time
limit to pay, if victim don’t pay within given time then amount will be
increased or data will be lost forever.
Why ransomware
creators target home users:
1. They don’t keep
data backups
2. They have no cyber
security knowledge
3. They don’t keep
their software updated
Why ransomware
creators target businesses:
1. Because they keep
huge money in their bank accounts.
2. Because as
business data is important so victim will pay the demanded amount to get back
the data.
3. Because creators
are aware that victim will not report the infection for fear of brand fame or
any further legal consequences.
Most common infection
methods used by malware creators:
1) Spam email’s that
contain malicious attachment’s or links
2) Unwanted traffic
that redirects to affected websites
3) Unknown websites
which may contain ransomware injected
Conclusion:
Ransomware has brought sleepless nights to
individuals, businesses, and government with its global scale attack.
Cyber security agencies
are working hard to break this malware. Do not open unknown mails or websites.
Keep your computer software updated along with powerful antivirus.
Stay safe and you
know what “the best protection is always have backup offline(pen drive/disc)
and don’t keep personal files in your laptop’s”.
