By If your laptop and its contents were suddenly held for ransom tomorrow, how much would you be willing to pay for it? Hackers can easily put you in a position where you’ll need to pay up to get your systems running again… and many larger institutes have ended up paying hundreds of thousands of dollars for the privilege.
Ransomware has become the black-hat hacker’s biggest cash cow in recent years. This hacking method encrypts a target computer’s data; the hacker then offers to unlock the information for a fee payable in Bitcoin. Ransoms on the low end amount to hundreds of dollars for individual users to about US$17,000 paid by Hollywood Presbyterian Medical Center.
Analysis of Bitcoin payments leads IT experts to conclude that one recent ransomware build, Cryptowall 3, is responsible for at least $325 million in ransom payments.
What allows ransomware to slip in? Lack of updated anti-malware, as far as systems are concerned; and trust bordering on gullibility, or poor surfing habits, as far as personnel are concerned. Ransomware generally needs its targets’ initial cooperation for it to find a foothold, though drive-by downloads can now let malware through without your clicks.
