AwareGO Security Incident

Home Solution Human Risk Assessment Security Awareness Videos Security Awareness Training Managed Cybersecurity Services Industries Healthcare Finance Hospitality Education Pricing Partners Resources Blog Materials Release notes Help center AwareGO News Cyber Threats Training How to measure human cyber-risk, finally! Company About Press and news Contact Sign in Get started free What is Ransomware? Ransomware is a type of malware that encrypts and/or locks down data on either a single computer or a whole network. It then demands a payment, often in bitcoin or with other type of untraceable method, in exchange for decrypting the data. In some cases, the ransomware doesnt encrypt the data but threatens to publish the it should the ransom not be paid. How does Ransomware spread? One of the most common ways for ransomware to get into a system is by phishing emails that contain malicious attachment. If these attachments are opened/downloaded the malware they contain can take over the victims computer. In other cases phishing is used to obtain a users password and login information . These are then used to get into the system and put the malware in place. Ransomware can also come through downloads on hijacked sites . If a site has been hijacked it will often ask the user to download something. This is one way to recognise that a usually harmless website has been compromised. Ransomware can also get into a system if a user clicks on pop-ups. Depending on the malware, the user might not have to be tricked into giving any sort of administrative access for it to spread and take control of the system. However, many malicious attachments rely on social engineering in this regard. Unfortunately, there have also been cases of highly advanced ransomware relying on security holes that have yet to be patched (even if the patch is already available). This malware could spread between computers without any user interaction. This is why everyone should keep their software updated at...

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