An attacker can delete your files permanently. What is a ransomware attack? Here are the ways to prevent it.
What Is Ransomware Attack?
Ransomware is malicious software that holds your computer or system hostage until you pay a ransom fee to the creator of the malware. It typically infiltrates a computer without permission. Then begins encrypting files on the computer such as documents and photos, and even entire hard drives.
This leaves the users with little recourse but to pay up if they want their data back (or don’t want their personal information exposed). It’s called ransomware because it “locks” away (or “ransom”) your personal files until you pay the fee (the “ransom”). All the data that can be recovered after a ransomware attack is encrypted with a strong crypto algorithm.
Ransomware attacks are conducted by malware that is designed to encrypt files, making them unusable until the victim pays a ransom. Attackers usually ask for money in exchange for decrypting the files. In some instances, they ask for a ransom to be paid in cryptocurrency like Bitcoin.
o, the attacker can delete your files permanently. The attacker will not release your files unless you pay the ransom. To prevent it you need to have a backup of both system and data which can be restored when a ransomware attack occurs.
Systematic Evolution of Ransomware Threats
You can prevent this attack by having a good backup of your data. You should have a backup of your data on an external storage device or cloud storage solutions like Google Drive or Dropbox. So, you don’t lose your data when your computer gets infected by ransomware.
Also, you can make sure that you have a good antivirus installed on your computer to protect you from this kind of malware attack. There are some types of ransomware:
1. Locky is now seen as one of the highest-profile families of crypto-ransomware and is distributed through various channels. This includes spam emails containing attachments with malicious macro scripts embedded inside them.
2. Metasploit Mamba is one more type of ransomware that encrypts files on the target system and demands a ransom in return for decrypting them.
3. WannaCry is another type of ransomware that encrypts files on the target system and demands a ransom in return for decrypting them.
If you haven’t heard about it yet, WannaCry has caused chaos all over the world since Friday 12 May 2017. This is where it turned out to be one of the biggest cyber attacks ever recorded in history. Because at least 200,000 computers worldwide are infected by this notorious cyber virus!
It’s also been reported that some people from India were affected too due to this nasty threat! This infamous malware has been classified as a “Ransomware Trojan” that has affected many computers.
Vulnerability Risk Assessment
One positive note about ransomware: It does allow you to back up your data before it’s encrypted. Unlike regular viruses that just infect your computer and render it unusable right away. So if you have important documents on a hard drive that isn’t backed up, there’s still time to back up those documents.
This is before they’re encrypted by the ransomware program. Also, this isn’t yet infected with ransomware.