Ransomware attacks involve cybercriminals infiltrating a company’s network and systems usually because it is first downloaded by unsuspecting employees to their computers. The ransomware then spreads itself throughout the network accessing as many resources as possible.
The end goal is to capture and encrypt the company data, then force the company to pay money in order to free up their data. If they don’t pay, their data might be sold on the dark web or destroyed. These types of attacks can cost organizations millions of dollars whether they pay or not.
Technically, ransomware is what is defined as an attack where the bad actors capture the data, prevent the organization from accessing the data and will only give them back access if they pay the ransom. Extortionware is when the bad actors threaten to sell the data on the dark web. The term ransomware tends to be used more often and is often used to refer to what might actually be extortionware.
Whether it is ransomware or extortionware, it is happening again and again and again. These attacks are no longer a surprise. They have become part of our daily lives. And it is time for us to put changes in place to stop them from happening. ...read more!
