It requests payment in Bitcoins, because this crypto-currency cannot be tracked by cyber security researchers or law enforcement agencies. It will display an image or a message that lets you know your data has been encrypted and that you have to pay a specific sum of money to get it back. This is one of the social engineering tricks used to confuse and coerce victims into paying the ransom. It can scramble your file names, so you can’t tell which data was affected. It has the ability to encrypt all kinds of files, from documents to pictures, videos, audio files and more. It features unbreakable encryption, which means that you can’t decrypt the files on your own (there are various decryption tools released by cyber security researchers). If you fail to send the money a second time the hackers will destroy the decryption key and you will never regain access to your files.Ĭharacteristics that set ransomware apart from other malwares: Some forms of ransomware will give you a week to send a specific amount of money and if you don’t comply, the price will increase. Ransomware is commonly downloaded onto a computer, tablet or phone through a corrupted link embedded in email attachments and untrustworthy downloads. Examples are: Police-themed ransomware or Winlocker. With Locker Ransomware, your files will not be encrypted but the attackers will still ask for money and in return will unlock the infected system. This denies them access to the desktop and all apps or files. Locker Ransomware will lock the victim out of the operating system. Examples include: CryptoLocker, Locky, and CryptoWall. It will block all system files and demand a payment which in turn will provide the victim with a decryption key that will unblock all their files. The two newer and more commonly seen versions of ransomware are called Encryption Ransomware and Locker Ransomware:Įncryption Ransomware includes advanced encryption algorithms. This causes people to give in and pay the money instead of looking for another way out. Reports have been made that the hackers would follow through on the threats if you paid the money they would remove the pop up screen and you would regain access to your files. 
If you didn’t comply with the hackers demands they threatened to erase all of your files. In theory, after you pay the hackers you regain access to your files, however this is not always the case. It started out as a virus that locked down your computer hard drive and displayed a pop up screen telling you to pay money to an unknown party. Ransomware is a virus that cripples your computer, and now even your smart phone or tablet.
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