What is Ransomware?
Ransomware is the most common and devastating form of malware that individuals and businesses face nowadays. It is malicious software used by cybercriminals to encrypt files and data and restrict access to your system without a key. In exchange for that key, an attacker demands a ransom payment.
Why are Ransomware Attacks Increasing?
1. Ransom Demands Are Increasing: The most apparent reason for the boost in ransomware attacks is financial gain. Target companies pay a ransom to get their data returned because they have sensitive information that could cause severe damage if it is lost. Paying the ransom incentivizes attackers to continue using ransomware because it is a simple way to get money.
2. Cryptocurrency Enables Secret Transactions: The growing use of cryptocurrency is one of the apparent explanations for this ransomware rise. Personal information stays hidden in crypto transactions, making it an excellent payment method for thieves.
3. Double Extortion is Becoming More Common: Malicious attackers threaten to make an impacted company's data public in a double extortion scheme. If the corporation refuses to pay, the attacker can leak the information to the public or sell it to the highest bidder.
4. Increase in Ransomware-as-a-Service: Threat actors are increasingly attacking large business networks these days. RaaS is a pay-per-use malware service that allows attackers to start and run a ransomware campaign by delivering the appropriate malware code via a platform.
5. Remote Work: The surge in ransomware attacks may also be caused by remote work. Due to the COVID-19 epidemic, there has been an enormous spike in the number of people working remotely, which has led to new vulnerabilities that cybercriminals can exploit. The following are some ways that remote work has contributed to the surge in ransomware attacks:
● Use of personal devices
● Use of unsecured networks
● Phishing attacks
● Lack of physical security
How Can InfosecTrain Help You?
Ransomware is a widespread hacking technique that will continue to grow in the future. Understanding information security is crucial to grasp the mechanisms of ransomware attacks and develop effective defense strategies against them. For those aspiring to begin a career in information security, InfosecTrain is an excellent starting point. InfosecTrain provides comprehensive online certification training courses in the area of information security that will teach you how to protect yourself and your company from various cyber-attacks like ransomware attacks. You will learn in-depth insights about ransomware and how to defend against it in our Network Security and Cybersecurity Analyst training courses with our experienced and certified instructors.
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