Recently, cybercrime has been on the rise and more and more incidents of attacks are being recorded around the world. So, it is important to be informed about how they work and how we can protect ourselves from them. Kaspersky lists different types of Ransomware and how to protect ourselves from them.
Ransomware is a malicious tool that uses many different ways to attack a device and then encrypt its files and demands a ransom to unlock them.
There are several ways a computer can become infected with ransomware, such as from an infected USB , a malicious email attachment , or a link to a malicious site .
Ransoms are usually demanded in bitcoin or another cryptocurrency , and hackers claim that once paid, they will provide the key that decrypts the locked files. However, in reality, paying the ransom is no guarantee that you will actually regain access to your files.
According to Kaspersky's analysis, 20% of victims who pay the ransom demanded were unable to regain their information.
Essentially, the most suspicious are executables (like .exe or .scr). Any other Microsoft Workplace executable (.document, .docx, .xls, .xlsx, .ppt, and so on) can also be dangerous. Mac devices can also be infected with ransomware. There aren’t that many ransomware techniques for MacOS yet, but it’s believed that their number will increase in the coming years.
To reduce the risk of ransomware infection, avoid clicking suspicious links or opening attachments in emails from unknown senders. Also, make sure to keep backups so that in the event of an attack, you don't lose your information.
