Ransomware is a type of malware or malicious computer program based on the computing field of cryptovirology that threatens to publish the victim’s personal data, perpetually block access to it, or damage the target system unless a ransom is paid to the author.
The payload usually works by encrypting the victim’s files and making them inaccessible, then demands a ransom payment usually in the form of cryptocurrency to decrypt them. Cryptocurrency makes tracing and prosecuting the perpetrators difficult.
Ransomware attacks are typically carried out using a Trojan disguised as a legitimate file that the user is tricked into downloading or opening.
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