Mac Operating Systems were infected first time in the year 2016. This malware infected the Apple Operating System users through an app called Transmission. They do it for a commission from the ransom.
It is hosted by an anonymous hacker to handle various tasks such as distributing ransomware, collecting payments, and managing decrypted software that restores data. It is also known as ‘Ransomware as a service. Because of the sensitivity of the data, people get panicked and pays the ransom to retrieve the data. These data mainly include personal data such as photos, videos, sensitive files, etc. It threatens the victim to publish the stolen personal information online and demand ransom. Some of the scareware will lock the computer while others will flood the screen with alerts and pop-up messages. It gives false alerts of issues in the computer and demands money to resolve them. It is fake software that pretends to be an antivirus tool. This malware completely locks the computer or device and makes it impossible to access any files. It attacked thousands of computers across the world and victims were demanded ransom in the form of bitcoin. The best example of this malware is the 2017 WannaCry ransomware attack. This type of malware can cause a lot of damages as it encrypts the data such as files, folders from the corrupted device, and hard drive. There are several types of ransomware which are commonly found. Some of them are more dangerous than the others. Various breed of ransomwares attacks is distributed worldwide. This is because the security at an employee’s home is not as safe as at a company work. In the remote work process, home networks and devices can be attacked by hackers and can access the corporate networks they are connected to. The proper configuration of cloud data and services has become a challenge to organizations.
Ransomware attackers are taking advantage of the underground cloud infrastructure. Cloud StorageĬloud storages became indispensable for the organization in the remote-work scenario in 2020. A single VPN vulnerability called CDE-2019-11510 caused nearly 8,00,000 detections which were exploited to spread ransomware in 2020.
Like any other software, a VPN tool is not free from vulnerabilities which is exploited by ransomware attackers. So, organizations started using Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) tools to protect the network from cyber-attacks. In response to the Covid-19, companies started to implement work from home arrangements. There are several reasons for the increase in cyber-attacks.
This open-source network has become the breeding ground for ransomware attacks. Due to the prevailing pandemic situation, employees are insisted to work from home. In the current Covid-19 situation, cybercriminals have started to exploit the vulnerabilities of industries. Ransomware is evolving at in fast pace and the industries are struggling to safeguard their data from such malware attacks. Various institutions such as private firms, state systems, and government networks including individuals are targeted by using ransomware attacks. This malware is used to encrypt sensitive data from the victim’s computer and access to the data is denied until a ransom is paid to the hacker.
Ransomware is software that is intentionally designed to cause damage to the computer, server, or network.