What Is Ransomware?

If you look up cybersecurity, chances are you have run across the topic of ransomware. Ransomware is a piece of malicious software designed to encrypt personal files and ask for a ransom to get the files back. Just recently, a ransomware attack affected computer systems of Baltimore, Maryland. This has forced the city to shut down normal operations and leaves residents unable to pay bills with the city. The most famous piece of ransomware was the WannaCry attack. WannaCry took advantage of a vulnerability in Microsoft Windows to infect and spread. This vulnerability was patched by Microsoft but a lot of the infected machine owners had not updated their system. These systems included systems found in the majority of UK hospitals. According to the Telegraph, the hack caused more than 19000 appointments to be canceled. Many blame the attack on the North Koreans but I am not sure if this is true. The moral of this blog post is to be smart and always update.
If you want to learn more about Ransomware click here.

Comments

  1. AnonymousMay 9, 2019 at 8:00 PM

    I had never heard of the WannaCry attack before. You mentioned the fact that we should always update. How often should I update my technology?

    ReplyDelete

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