{"id":2870,"date":"2016-07-23T15:49:24","date_gmt":"2016-07-23T19:49:24","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/local.brightwhiz\/?p=2870"},"modified":"2016-07-23T15:49:24","modified_gmt":"2016-07-23T19:49:24","slug":"ransomware-removal","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/local.brightwhiz\/ransomware-removal\/","title":{"rendered":"Your Guide to Understanding Ransomware"},"content":{"rendered":"

There was a time when being held at ransom meant something totally different than we know it today. Well at least in terms of ransomware. Back in the day for you to fall victim to “ransomware” you had to be the son or daughter of some filthy rich parents.<\/p>\n

You would then need to get kidnapped by the kidnappers (ransomware). The only way you were going back home was to be rescued by some elite police squad or simply just pay the bad guys.<\/p>\n

Enter Ransomware, the Modern day Kidnappers<\/h2>\n

Names like CryptXXX, Locky, Apocalypse, Zepto, and others have been raining havoc on peoples computer files. Ransomware is a certain type of malware. The different variants have been making major headlines recently while keeping security researchers and organizers tied up. At the same time, it has cost organizations loads in Bitcoin payments to this nefarious characters who deploy the ransomware.<\/p>\n

How Ransomware Works<\/h2>\n

Once it gets onto your computer through various means such as a Trojan or more commonly through that socially engineered email attachment it then begins its damage.\u00a0 With slight variations in the mode of operations, in general, ransomware begins to encrypt all the files on the victims’ storage drives and devices that meet certain criteria.<\/p>\n

The criteria used is usually based on the file extension. The malware will silently encrypt <\/a>all files then once complete reveal itself to the user. Some variants will lock the entire computer and allow only the lock screen message to be displayed. Why the lock screen with a message? This happens to be the ransom note.<\/p>\n

The malware programmer will contain instructions that seek to warn the user of consequences should they not be obliged to make a Bitcoin <\/a>payment of a prescribed amount to a certain website address on the darknet. The reason this demands must be met is that there is no way of encrypting the encrypted files without the decryption key.<\/p>\n

Unfortunately for the victim, this key is sitting on a server somewhere on the Internet. The key is only sent to the victim after the victim makes the payment and he can have his files back. Some of the malware even makes it more difficult to share the key because the malware can generate a unique key for the specific computer.<\/p>\n

How to Protect from Ransomware<\/h2>\n

Like other forms of malware<\/a>, you must apply best practice habits when using your computer.<\/p>\n